REVELATION
On any given Saturday or Sunday, you will see churches
open all across the country with parking lots full of cars. Some worship houses
are small, while others are larger and cater to the masses, but regardless of
where one may find themselves, Church has evolved into a Mega business. There
are hundreds if not thousands of televangelists who have programming on various
Christian stations to teach those individuals who may not ever step inside one
of these houses of worship. However, despite all the popularity and fame that
many of these pastors receive, the Body of Christ in many congregations is in
trouble.
There
was a time when the church was the one who planted the moral ground for the
nation and its leaders to go by. In today’s time, many churches have become
like Genetically Modified Crops (GMO) where they look like the original, taste
like the original, but is nothing more than a poisonous imitation of what true
Christianity is all about.
What
does this mean? This means that so many in the Body of Christ have become
COMPROMISED. That’s right! They are bowing down to the demands of the world
when in actuality, the Saints of God are to be set apart. There’s an abundance
of sin taking place even the pulpits. Abuse, drugs, alcohol, sexual immorality,
liars, thieves and more are all part of the roster within the Body of Christ,
while we are supposed to be the example to the world. More sermons are on self-motivation,
money and prosperity than calls to repentance and Salvation. What is happening
in the church? What was taking place in John’s time? What does God have to say
to the church of today?
Quick Review
from Lesson 1
b.)
This is the only Book of the Bible that has a blessing pronounced over
the reader.
c.)
Jesus is the Alpha and Omega…the Beginning and End.
d.)
The 7 churches were: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis,
Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
e.)
7 lampstands represent the 7 churches.
f.)
7 stars represents the 7 angels (pastors) of the churches.
g.)
Son of Man is Jesus.
h.)
White hair represents the purity of God.
i.)
Eyes of fire represents the judgment of God.
j.)
The skin of bronze represents the Offering Jesus became, which was good
for the healing of the nation by faith for the forgiveness of sin.
k.)
Golden sash represents the Holiness of God and Truth.
l.)
Voice of water represents the constant flow of grace and salvation for
all people to receive.
m.)
The Double-edged sword represents the Word of God.
n.)
The seven spirits around the throne represents the Holy Spirit with the
gifts of: Rest, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Power, Knowledge, and Fear
(reverence).
The Seven Churches of Asia Minor
God had an important message for the churches during John’s day. Some of it was good, but other points of it was a warning for correction to be made. The church of today needs to heed the warning that God had given for John to write down during his day. The message to the 7 churches indeed comprise of many faucets that are found in the modern day Body of Christ. We must be careful that we are not found wanting and miss out of the Kingdom for which our Heavenly Father has prepared.
To the Church in Ephesus
Revelation 2:1-7 (1) “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. (2)I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. (3)You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. (4) Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. (5)Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (6)But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. (7)Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
God had watched the church of Ephesus and had seen all the things that they had done for His service. Nothing that we do goes unnoticed by God because He is everywhere and sees all. Hebrews 4:11 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (NIV) This is why it is important to live righteous lives before our Creator, so that we may please Him and represent the Glory of God for others to see.
John was told that Ephesus did not tolerate the wicked and were acknowledged for having tested the fruits of those who “claimed” to be apostles of Christ and were not. The church of Ephesus was correct in testing the spirit. 1 John 4:11 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (NIV) There are many false prophets even in today’s time who mislead the Saints of God. However, if one truly wants to know if they are of God, daily study in the Word of God will give a spiritual x-ray in order to differentiate the real from the phony.
During the time of Ephesus, there was persecution of the Saints happening on every front. However, the church remained strong, but God held something against them. They had lost their first love. They had become like robots and were doing things out of ritual instead of taking joy into the works of God. It was like a marriage where the couple were in love when they first met, but after years of being together, the marriage had grown dull. God was not happy about this and wanted them to repent and do their first works all over again. Romans 12:11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. (NIV) Despite the many years of service that we may offer to the Lord, He wants us to stay ignited and passionate about Him.
God said that He would remove their lampstand if they did repent from this act. This means that it is wrong for us to allow our love for Christ to grow dim. It also means that the belief of “once save, always saved” is incorrect that is taught in many churches. You can be erased from the book of life if you do not do the will of the Father. 2 Peter 2:11 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. (NIV) Peter is saying in this text that you can lose your Salvation if you willingly turn away from God’s commands. Therefore, to be found without fault, one must repent of their sins.
God required their repentance, so that they would be in righteous standing with him. The church of Ephesus was recognized by God as not putting up with the teachings of the Nicolaitans. Nicolas comes from the Greek and means to subdue and conquer. Nicolas was one of seven men chosen to help run matters at the church. Acts 6:5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. (NIV) Nicolas had come from a pagan background, but he converted to Judaism and later to Christianity. However, early church writers describe Nicolas as one who combined Christianity and paganism in the church; therefore bringing a spirit of compromise which was like a cancer growing full of sin and ungodliness. Those who had the ear to listen to the Spirit would be victorious in the end and have a right to the tree of life.
Tomorrow, we will dig further into the Book of Revelation and see more of what God has to say. You can purchase the complete set of this series, "Revelation: Removing the Prophetic Veil" by K L Rich on Amazon.com.
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