Address—P. Wilson
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Gracious love.
Our earthly path has ceaseless view. Ere knew our beating ark to move.
Thy tender mercy still pursuit.
Ever with us, may they abide and close us in on every side. 166 some brothers started. Please.
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To those three hours of darkness.
It is my thought.
Brethren.
To give a brief.
Outline.
Of Revelation 2:00 and 3:00 This afternoon the Lord helping.
I realized it's a tremendous subject to try to bring into an hour or an hour and a few minutes.
But I feel led to turn to it.
But first, a verse or two in the first chapter of the Book of Revelation.
Might read from the ninth verse of the first chapter.
I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation and in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ.
Was in the aisle, which is that is called Patmos for the word of God.
And for the testimony of Jesus Christ, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.
And heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet, saying I am Alpha and Omega, the 1St and the last.
And what thou seest write in a book and?
Under the seven churches which are in Asia, unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamus, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and under Laodicea.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned I saw 7 golden candlesticks. And in the midst of the seven candlesticks, one like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like undefined brass, as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice has the sound of many waters.
And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp 2 edged sword. And his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. When I saw him I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me saying unto me, Fear not, I am the 1St and the last. I am he that liveth and was dead.
Or the living one who became dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And have the keys of hell of death.
Write the things which thou has seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be after these things.
Few words.
Are necessary as introductory to the two following chapters.
First of all, let's notice that 19th verse.
That nineteenth verse is an index to the whole Book of Revelation.
Write the things which thou hast seen. That's what John saw in this first chapter.
The seven golden candlesticks and the Lord Jesus himself in judicial roles, judging in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. That covers the first point, the things which thou hast seen.
And the things which are.
Now the things which are refers to the second and third chapters.
That is, it covers the entire period of the Church history.
The Church of God on earth, and the things which shall be after these things.
Begins with the 4th chapter and goes on through the rest of the book.
I might add this that in the first verse of the 4th chapter.
We read this statement.
After this I looked and behold, the door was opened in heaven.
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And let's read it differently here according to the better translation.
And the voice which I heard at the 1St.
Which was, as it were, a trumpet speaking with me.
Which said come up hit her.
That introduces the Church into the Father's house.
That is the moment for which we are waiting.
That is a moment that thou that is now so near at hand.
The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout. The voice of the Archangel, and the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
And we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, And so shall we ever be with the Lord. This is what we were referring to yesterday in the Bible readings, where the Lord himself said, I will come again and receive you unto myself. He has gone away. He has left us a promise that he's coming back for us. And when he does, he's going to take us to be with himself.
That introduces the church into the heavenly scene. The church is seen on earth.
In these second and third chapters, but never after the third chapter.
Is the scene has changed to heaven, the church is seen in heaven.
As the 24 elders in the 4th chapter, you come down to the end of the book.
And you find the 24 elders divided into two classes, 2 groups.
The bride and the friends of the bridegroom, those that are invited to the marriage feast.
In the 19 chapter, the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
And blessed are those that are invited to that scene, the marriage supper of the Lamb.
But the Church is still on earth.
The church period began.
On the day of Pentecost, according to the second chapter of Acts.
That was the birthday of the church. Now when I say the church, I'm not talking about a building.
I'm not talking about some man made organization. I speak of every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.
For every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ from the day of Pentecost till the Rapture is indwelt by the Spirit of God.
In whom having believed, ye were sealed by that Holy Spirit of promise?
Every believer in the Lord Jesus has the Spirit of God abiding in him.
And that's what makes the church the Spirit of God, dwelling in a body of believers on earth, uniting them together and to the Lord, the head in heaven. It began on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2. It will terminate with that shall come up, hit her. Now, of course, in this 4th chapter Book of Revelation, John is called to come up, hit her, and he's given visions in heaven from there on.
But it's figurative language.
In that word come up, hit her, we see the Lord's call to the church. For you never find the Church on earth after John receives that call in the 4th chapter.
Another thing.
Referring to the first chapter.
There we find the Lord Jesus.
And judicial robes in His Majesty. And John the beloved Apostle falls at his feet as death.
The one that leaned on Jesus breast at supper time.
Falls at his feet, is dead when he sees him so irate.
Let us not forget that the Blessed One who came down and went to Calvary's cross.
To become our Savior is the Holy One and true.
He is the Mighty God.
That language is used of him, you know.
There is a familiarity today in Christendom when speaking about the name of Jesus.
That I dislike. I think it's contrary to the thought in scripture. We forget the glory, the dignity, the majesty of of his person.
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Well, now, in this first chapter we find him standing where? In the midst of seven candlesticks.
What are candlesticks for? They are to hold candles that give light, light in darkness. We were reading yesterday afternoon. The night, as far as spent in the day, is at hand.
It was night when Judas went out to betray the Lord. It's been night ever since.
The Lord Jesus said, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. But they cast the light out. It's been more early night ever since.
Well.
He stands in the midst of those 7 golden candlesticks judging. A Candlestick is supposed to bear light, and if it doesn't give light, If it doesn't bear light, it's useless. And here is the Lord judging. Now a Candlestick, I believe, represents to us the thought that the Church of God on earth is supposed to be his witness. It's supposed to bear light in this Dark World.
During this long, dark night.
You know, in Old Testament times if a heathen wanted to find out about the true God.
He had to go to Jerusalem or to Judaism to get it.
But if he wants, if one wants to find out the truth of God today, he's to turn to Christianity.
Suppose a case, though, of a man who takes an airplane.
China and comes across the water and lands in San Francisco.
And he makes the trek in order to find out about the true God.
And he wanders up and down the streets in San Francisco thinking, now this is a God fearing nation. This is a place where they know God. I've come here to find out about the true God and about Jesus Christ.
What do you think he would find?
If you walked up and down the streets in San Francisco as I know them, he'd probably have the feeling like Paul had when he was in Athens. I saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
You'd find the city wholly given to pleasure and to the things of this world.
But suppose he turned in and asked people about God and about the Lord Jesus. Well, he is apartment to fall into the hands of any number of cults that deny the deity of Christ and his atoning blood.
What would he find?
Confusion rampant.
Of course, now I believe if he looked to God to direct him, God would direct him to someone that could tell him about the Lord Jesus.
But just humanly speaking, he'd have a hard time in San Francisco.
Our Los Angeles either.
I suppose we mad Detroit.
But.
Here is the church represented by 7 golden candlesticks.
Now the Lord is judging and He is judging all profession. Remember that the lamps are a symbol of profession.
Could be rendered lampstands. Lamps are a symbol of profession.
Now he addresses himself to these seven churches, the seven assemblies.
And may I add awareness to that, he says. The seven assemblies which are in Asia.
Now that does not mean the continent of Asia.
That's a province in the old Roman Empire called Asia. It was one part of Asia Minor, just a province.
And there were seven assemblies there. These seven mentioned, and I believe there were others in it.
The Lord Hears singles out seven because seven is a complete number.
Scripture all was used in seven as a complete number either in good or in evil.
Now there were seven.
You know, there's seven days to one week.
Is a complete cycle and God instituted that.
Man, in his infidelity in atheism for years, has talked about a 10 day week.
But here it's 77 assemblies.
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Under Ephesus and under Smyrna, and under Pergamus, and under Thyatira. And under Sardis. And under Philadelphia and under Laodicea.
Now the reason that these seven were chosen is that in these seven assemblies at the time.
There existed conditions that the Lord wanted to use as representatives.
And they are taken in a certain order. Remember that this book is given by God.
It's God breathed and everything in it is for a purpose and we need to vow in reverence before it and seek his mind about it. Seven churches, a complete number. Our complete cycle, I believe in this case is.
The history of the Church of God on earth from the days of the Apostles.
On to the end.
And the Lord in giving us these 7 letters.
And they're addressed to us. Blessed is he that readeth, and the Lord addresses us in each of these letters.
Therefore, our learning and there are three ways we can look at these churches.
We can look at them as the state of these seven local assemblies in the province of Asia and Asia Minor, or we can look at them and see them as representing the state of an individual or 7 individuals perhaps.
Or we can look at them as progressive states in the history of the Church of God on earth.
And I believe that's the primary importance of it.
God has told us at the beginning how it would end. He's told us it's history from the beginning now, when man starts out to sell you something.
He draws up a prospectus and he uses the most glowing words that the dictionary has to tell you what a wonderful investment this is going to be and how it's going to go on and grow and increase and abound. And he never allows for a failure in his prospectus.
But God from the beginning told us what the history of the Church would be.
And he told us that failure would come in, that is, into the professing church. We must distinguish that there are two things. There is that which is real and vital, those that are connected with the Lord Jesus Christ by ties that cannot be broken. And then there is that which is a mere profession of Christianity, that is the outward thing, and in which there is real and false.
Now let's go down to the second chapter.
We'll have to hurry along and I'm not going to read it all and then go back and go over it. We save time by not doing it that way.
Under the Angel in the Church of the Church of Ephesus right now, the Angel in each of these seven churches is the responsible witness or the responsible ones in the assembly.
Its representative. And so the Lord addresses it, the Angel as the representative of the assembly.
In the city of Ephesus. Now remember Ephesus has a great part in the New Testament.
Paul was there a long time in the city of Ephesus, and he's preached the word till all in the province of Asia heard about it.
And there is a bright conversion in the beginning. They brought out their books. They sold them.
I mean, they brought out their books, they counted the value of them, and they burned them. They were works of magic.
The things that they had occupied them as pagans. They got rid of the whole thing. They didn't put them in the corner hoping that they'd have them if they ever needed them. They got rid of the whole thing. There was a real change took place in those Ephesians when they took Christ as their savior.
And then we find Paul later writes the epistle to the Ephesians, and they had gone on and grown.
Till he was able to expound unto them the highest truths that he gives anywhere to the Ephesian Saints.
Why? They made their clean break with the world. When they got saved, they were marked by it and they made they made progress.
If you want to make progress, dear young Christian, you're going to have to make a break with the world.
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Remember, you belong to Christ and this world hates Christ. You make the break though, and you're in a position to go on and make progress.
Well, the Ephesians Saints were going on well at that time, but when Paul was in prison, he says. All in the province of Asia have turned away from me.
They didn't want the reproach of being connected with an apostle who was in prison.
Now.
Second verse, I know thy works. Here's that one in those judicial robes. It's addressing the church in the city of Ephesus and if we view it.
As a representative Church of a certain period, it's that that followed the days of the apostles.
John wrote later than any of the others. He probably wrote this about the year 1896.
Somewhere in there.
Now the Lord says, I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience.
Oh, you say. What a wonderful church that was. What a wonderful assembly. I wish I could find 1 S well going on today. They had works, and they had labor, and they had patience or endurance. But, as was remarked yesterday when the Thessalonians got saved, it was a work of faith, a labor of love and a patience of hope.
Here.
You'll find.
Works, labor and patience, but no works of faith. Faith lacking, no labor of love loves lacking, and no patience of hope hopes lacking.
They were going on by Rd. after the springs had dried up. It's possible for a Christian to get cold in his soul, get away from the Lord, get out of communion, and yet go on by rope, just doing the things that he used to do. But it's a sad state to be in if one is there, because he's in danger of slipping further.
Now he says, I know that thou canst not bear them which are evil, and has tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and has found a mire.
That was commendable. Sometimes people say we shouldn't judge anything. Well, there is judgment in the House of God. Do you not judge them that are within? There is judgment that needs to be exercised in the House of God. And here they're commended for judging those that claim to be apostles but were apostasy imposters.
Nevertheless, I have the fourth verse and you notice that word somewhat is an italics. Leave the somewhat out.
Was added by the translator thinking it helped it, but it detracts from it. I have against it. I think the word somewhat there softens it.
I have against thee.
That thou hast left thy first love.
We sometimes quote that as though it said we had lost the first love. No, he says, you have left it.
What the Lord is saying to these Saints in the city of Ephesus.
You do not love me like you used to.
And the Lord feels it. Now you see a young person get converted, or an older one. Either he finds Christ as his savior and his heart just go, is all aglow.
With love to Christ.
But after a while.
Other things dimmed that glow and it gets a little cold.
Little cold and there isn't the same ardor of affection that there used to be. Well, the Lord notices it, and that is the beginning of declension. We were saying yesterday that there's probably one thing that precedes it, and that's the lack of enjoying Christ's love to us. Then the result is that our love to Him wanes and He feels. Don't ever think that he doesn't.
How he spoke to Israel about their not remembering that he loved them.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fall.
It's the Lord speaks of it in this language. It's your fault if you do not love the Lord like you used to.
Now, I'm not saying that there's always the same exuberance that there is that.
There was at the beginning. One may go on more calmly, more quietly, after he saved.
Without any loss of affection.
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One of our hymns says, yet deeper, if a calmer joy.
There is such a thing as a deeper and a calmer joy.
But you know, and I know that it is easy for us to lose the order of affection.
Well, the Lord calls it fallen.
Now this is the beginning of the downfall of the whole Church of God on earth.
Giving up first love.
Remember therefore from whence thou had fallen. Suppose a case. Suppose a man has.
Happily married, he and his wife love each other very much.
And everything goes on well for a time.
And she continues to be a good housekeeper. Have everything.
***** and span and have everything done that's required but one day, he says to her.
Well, Mabel.
You know, I I think that you don't love me like you used to.
Do you suppose the tightness of the house or the good meals that are cooked would make up for it?
Oh, I don't mean that only the wife didn't.
Have our love, Wayne. Incidentally, it's the husband that stole to love his wife.
Brother went to Mr. Potter one time and he said, Mr. Potter, will you speak to my wife and tell her that she's to be subject to me?
Mr. Potter said that. Didn't say that to you.
It says to you to love your wife.
And he cut him off with it.
Wise man.
Six verse But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans.
Which I also hate now I believe.
That the only way we'll find a clue to who the Nicolaitans were is to understand a little of the meaning of the name, and it means conquer the laity.
It's what you found in John's epistle where he says diotrophies. Who loveth to be have the preeminence?
Diatrophy was the first of that class.
But lo and behold, their name is legion to death.
They ride herd over the sheep. They treat them as though they were their flock.
Thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolait. It wasn't. It wasn't a doctrine, it wasn't a practice. It was certain deeds that they were coming in here and there. Well, they hated that.
And the Lord commends them.
Now the seventh verse, he that hath ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
In everyone of these 7 letters is a word of address to the overcomer.
What is an overcomer?
One who lives for God in spite of the difficulties of the day.
One who lives for God in spite of the special obstacles of his time.
He calls them overcomers, and he says I'll give him to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Well, we know from other scriptures that this is for all the heavenly Saints, but here it is held out as a special encouragement for those that go on in first love.
In the day when coldness was rampant. And What is the tree of life?
Oh, it speaks of Christ.
The tree of life in the midst of the paradise of God.
Man may dream of paradise restored.
No, no, no. What would that be compared with? The paradise of God?
Suppose Eden could be restored that couldn't compare with the portion that awaits us for children of God.
Paradise of God.
Now we go on.
Eighth verse under the Angel of the church in Smyrna write these things set the 1St and the last.
Which was dead and is alive is the Conqueror of death.
I know thy works in tribulation and poverty parenthesis.
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And I know the blasphemy of them would say they are Jews and are not, but are of the synagogue of Satan.
None of those things which thou shalt suffer.
What did the Lord do after the days of the Apostles to recall the Church to her early love?
He let the church fall into tribulation.
After the days when Christianity first blossomed.
Pagan Rome got up in arms about this new religion that was displacing the idols.
They wanted to keep idolatry as the enforced religion of the Roman Empire.
And so they started him to persecute the Christians.
You know that the story of Nero fiddling while Rome burned?
And then he blamed it on the Christians and the Roman Empire that the city of Rome had been burned. Everything was blamed on the Christians. Everything that went wrong was blamed on them.
They were the **** of all the criticism and.
Persecution after persecution followed notice here.
Fear none of those things. The 10th verse which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison.
That ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation 10 days.
There were 10 distinct separate persecutions under the Roman emperors, persecutions of Christians.
So he says, thou shalt have tribulation 10 days.
But be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Oh, how that warm would warm the hearts of those dear Saints that were passing through tribulation through persecution. We were saying yesterday that many of them went singing to the stake or to be beheaded in those days, one of the worst persecution forms of persecution the world has ever known.
Was religious persecution.
Millions of Christians in those early days were martyred for their faith in Christ.
Maybe it was quickly over. Maybe they were challenged to deny Christ one day and.
Learned at the stake the next.
Ours is more of a living, constant opposition.
That which wears the spirit down. And finally, perhaps, we are.
Inclined to give way and say what's the use?
No, brethren.
We live in this day. They lived in that day. And their Lord had a word of encouragement for them, and he has a word of encouragement for us. They were to be faithful unto death. He'd give them a crown of life.
And who was taught who was speaking?
The one who was a conqueror over death, he could say, be faithful unto death.
The one who was dead and is alive again was speaking. He came forth a mighty victor over death. Could he not offer them something beyond death then?
I will give thee a crown of life.
Notice too, we passed up the ninth verse. I know thy works and tribulation and poverty.
He says that right along. I know thy work.
You know, the Lord knows all our works too. He knows what we're doing. He's conscious of our faithfulness or our lack of it. I know thy works.
Tribulation You suffer for Christ's sake. He knows all about it.
He's the one that knows and he's going to reward it to every bit of it.
And poverty? Oh, they were poor.
These were like those we read of in Hebrews 10. They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods.
But he says, thou art rich. The world saw them as poor. They lost everything through faithfulness to Christ. But he says, you're rich.
All they had riches that the world couldn't touch.
Now the 11 verse. He that hath here, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be heard of the second death.
Or he might he might suffer the first death for faithfulness to Christ. But that second death, that separation of man, body, soul, and spirit from God for all eternity, he'll never touch them.
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Now the third.
And to the Angel of the church in Pergamos write these things, saith he which hath a sharp sword with two edges.
The way the Lord addresses each church is indicative of what you find there.
He writes to encourage them.
Previous church here he writes because he's going to challenge them.
These things, says he, which hath the sharp sword with two edges. I know thy works.
Where thou dwellest, even where Satan seated.
All he knew all about them. And he knew the troubles they were having too, for they dwelt where Satan's throne was. Where was that?
World. What kind of a world? Pagan world. Now? Yes, a Pagan world. Christianized.
This period of the Church history begins with Constantine about 313.
Constantine thought it would be a wonderful stroke, a master stroke.
To gain the power of the Roman Empire, so he took the cross as his banner.
And he went forth and conquered under the name of the cross.
It was just a masterstroke of politics.
But what happened as soon as Constantine comes to the throne?
As soon as he gets the full power of the Roman Empire behind him, he puts down.
Idolatry and raises Christianity. Oh, he makes Christianity the official.
Religion of the world of the Roman Empire.
You say? Wasn't that a good thing? No, That was where Satan's seat was.
It was paganism. Christianized. He took the Pagan feasts.
And he gave them Christian names. He let them go on with all their Pagan ****** and put the name of Christ on it.
Incidentally.
One of the worst feasts in the calendar through Pagan feast on the calendar was what Christenham calls Christmas.
Oh, he just turned it around and made it a Christian festival.
That's what Constantine did with the whole thing. He just switched it around.
I know where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seed is. This was the day for the Christians to be wary.
This was the Christian day when Christians were honored in the previous church and the previous period of the Church's history.
The leaders of the church were indulgent. They were in hideouts, They were in forests, They were the scouring of all things. Constantine comes to the throne and makes Christianity the religion of the empire, and they're called in. Now they come out of their hiding.
Their their sought after.
And.
There brought him to the court.
Yes, they're giving a place of honor.
If there is anything that will pull the Christian down, it's to have the world patronizing, to have the world flattering. Well, that's what happened. And and Satan tried to crush Christianity in the days of in the days of Smyrna, he tried to crush it through Roman Empire opposition, but it didn't work. The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.
And what was there was real. It was sincere. A man didn't join the Christian group in those days if he wasn't sincere because he didn't want a court death.
But if he really didn't mind it, he came out boldly for Christ.
But as soon as it became popular to be a Christian, then they all got in on it. In fact, Constantine offered a certain sum of money in a white robe to everyone that would be baptized. He made Christians in a hurry. He paid them to be Christians.
Oh, that was the downfall of the church.
313 adapt is the date if memory serves me right.
And you know that all the time that Constantine reigned over the Roman Empire.
He assumed the authority over the church. When the officials, the great men in the Church of God on earth at that time, would come together to discuss something, they, Constantine, would appear and they'd all have to stand up and wait till he'd be seated before they could sit down. And all the time he was the high priest of the heathen too.
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Water mixture. And that's the very kind of thing that's being advocated in ecumenicalism today.
I read an article.
I read a book rather I reviewed a book.
A scurrilous attack on dispensationalism called the backgrounds to dispensationalism.
And this author says, let us forsake this idea that the Church is in the world, but not of it. Now what did the Lord himself say in the 17th of John?
I pray not for the world, but for them whom now has given me out of the world, he says. You're not of it.
Oh, he says not. I don't pray to take them out of the world, but keep them from the evil. The Church of God was to be in but not of the world. This man, a Christian minister, boldly says let's forsake the idea of in but not of, and join in the whole big movement to improve the world.
We have to be make a church that's relevant to the space age, or the church has no mission here.
Oh, this is nothing in the world but another attempt to go back to the days of Pergamus.
Now we go down.
14th verse I have a few things against thee, that thou hast them there, that hold the doctrine of Balaam.
Who taught Balak to cast the stumbling block before the children of Israel, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and took them at fornication?
That's in a spiritual sense here, but Balak did that.
He not only attacked them, he not only prophesied against them.
But when God wouldn't let his prophecies avail anything, he taught the Balaam, taught the king Balak how to pull them down. He says Go and mingle with them, intermarry with them, get them to your feet. That's the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast this narrow before the children of Israel. And so he pulled them down through his wild when God wouldn't let him attack them.
And that's the thing that's being proposed today in the end of Christianity on the earth.
Now go down 15 verse. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaus.
It's not now only a few deeds, isolated deeds, but it has become a doctrine.
1St it's the deeds and then a doctrine is formed to support this. Support the deeds.
Repent, or I will come unto thee quickly, and I will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna. That's Christ in hidden away glory. I will give to eat of a hidden man, and I will give him a whitestone.
And in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it.
In the days of Pergamus.
There was quiet, had to be quiet going on in communion.
It couldn't be. It couldn't be outward. Now everything is. A whole outward thing was mixed up with the world. As the poet said, I looked for the world and I found it in the church.
I look for the church and I found it in the world. You couldn't tell one from the other. They were so mixed up together.
But then if one went on faithful to Christ in seclusion, always says, I'll give him a white stone, and in that stone a new name written that no one will know but the one that receives it, it's going to be some special active favor of the Lord, and he's going to recompense the faithfulness.
Is going to recommend.
We going on down to the 18th verse, and under the Angel of the church in Thyatira, right these things saith the Son of God, who hath eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet like fine brass. I know thy works in charity and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works, and the last, to be more than the first. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman. Jezebel.
Is already named Balaam. Now he mentions Jezebel, the most wicked woman in the Old Testament, as a sample of something woman, Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication and eat things sacrificed to idols.
Here is a system now he calls by the name of Jezebel.
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What could that be?
Does this mean anything?
Calleth herself a Providence, and she teaches.
There is one organization on Earth that claims the right to teach.
Now remember that according to Scripture, the Church is taught. It doesn't teach.
But here's an organization represented by a most wicked woman of the Old Testament, Jezebel, and she attempts to teach the church teaches. Oh, how well we hear those claims today, and they're growing. They're getting more bold all the time.
Jezebel here.
I say it with caution.
With reservations.
With Jezebel, here is that thing that dominated the church.
After.
A certain period of time, that is, after the Pergamus period, there came a period in which the Church of Rome became the dominating factor.
And that went on from about the 6th century to about the 16th century, almost 1000 years of church history in which Rome dominated everything.
I gave her space to repent of her fornication and she repented. Not now. That's a principle with God that he always warns and gives face to repent.
But she wouldn't repent.
All I will cast her into a bed. So on.
24th Verse on the you I say, leave out and unto unto you I say thee rest in Thyatira, As many as have not known this doctrine.
And which have not known the depths of Satan as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden.
All there were some in those days that were in that.
That sphere, that we're still faithful.
That still were true to God, he says. I'll put upon you no other burden. Hold fast what you have.
25th verse But that would she have already hold fast till I come. Now a Thyatira, this church has this word from the Lord to it hold fast till I come, and that's the first time that he mentions his coming. In other words, this organization or this sphere in which Rome dominates.
This thing is to go on unto the end till the Lord comes.
Let's go down to the next chapter, and under the Angel of the church and Sardis right these things hath he that hath the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know thy works, that thou hast the name that thou livest and are dead. What followed the Thyatira period, the Reformation?
The Reformation, now the Reformers, Martin Luther and the others, did not intend to leave the Church of Rome. They set out, as the name implies, merely to reform it, to correct its abuses, to improve it. But Rome wouldn't have it, and they were forced out. They were excommunicated.
Now what happened? Oh, we all know the history if we don't know the history of the Reformation.
We better read it.
What terrible bloodshedding there was in order that the truth of God might be maintained.
And what came out of the Reformation? The Bible and the language of the people. The Bible had been kept out of the hands of the people. The word of God was held back. The great thing that came out of the Reformation was the open Bible.
Truth of justification by faith.
Now that came out of the Reformation.
But what has happened to come out of the Reformation since then? Has it all gone on brightly, as when Martin Luther stood firm and fast against obstacles almost insurmountable?
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Now I think that in this Sardis, we have brought before us a period following the Reformation, that which came out of the Reformation represented by the state churches.
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There are still many countries that have state churches.
England has. Scandinavian countries have.
Various countries have state churches. They came out of the Reformation. And you know what the reference at the before the Reformation, the Church of Rome ruled over the governor, the Princess over the king.
But with the Reformation, the reformers nestled down under the wing of the government, it was reversed.
But he says, I know thy works, that thou hast the name, that thou art livest and are dead.
It's possible to have call, formality, and no heart for Christ.
And there is a growing desire today.
For ritualism.
I saw a letter written by one man who had young man in the States who had been in the army.
And he returned back home after a couple of years to his local church.
And he said I found it just filled with ritualism. When I left it, there was none of it.
Or they want ritualism. Well, why not?
If the reality of faith in Christ and the saved by the precious Blood of Christ is gone.
Let's have a church anyway, but then we'll have to introduce ritualism. We'll have to have form and ceremony pumped and all that goes with it to make up for the vitals that have been thrown out the window.
I don't think I'm extravagant, my friends.
Because I know where I speak.
Think of one of the leaders in Christendom today saying the precious name of Jesus, the precious blood of Christ coming under the blood, and things like that have no meaning today.
And he's not an obscure man either. He's one of the leaders, one of the leaders of ecumenicalism. Well, if the if the precious blood of Christ and salvation by blood and the name and precious name of Jesus have no meaning, all right, bring in ceremony and form.
The empty ceremonies will take the place for some people, but they won't satisfy God now, he says.
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Thou hast the name that thou lives. Oh yes, the open Bible is still here, although that's being corrupted every day.
Every few months we get a new translation and everyone gets worse than the one before it. The new English Bible is just off the press. Recently is the worst yet.
And I know what I'm speaking about.
I reviewed it.
Fourth verse Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
Don't forget that God has these people here and there all over in Christmas.
And he knows everyone of them, and he knows them by name. And the Lord is going to reward each one for his faithfulness.
According to his life.
Let's not forget that the Lord's people are in all parts of the world and in all things except the apostate cults.
I don't say they should be there. Now, that isn't the point.
They are. They're there. The Lord knows them.
He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white. Raiment. Oh, that's different too, the mixture that's found there, And they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.
Previous verse while we go down seventh verse under the Angel in the church in Philadelphia, write these things that he that is holy and he that is true.
Notice how this one, who judges in this midst of the Candlestick addresses the church in Philadelphia. He that is holy and he that is true.
The greater the light, the nearer to Christ.
The more the holiness of His person is insisted upon.
The Lord said to Israel, you know, or to the man with the destroying weapon in his hand when he saw the idolatries in the House of God in Jerusalem. He says go in and slay them and begin at my house. The Book of Revelation is a book of judgment, and judgment begins at the House of God. That's what we have in Revelation 2 and three. And here we find that there are some here. This is another period of time following the Reformation.
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He that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth.
And shutteth, and no man openeth I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee and opened.
Door, and no man can shut it, for thou hast leave out the a here thou hast little strength.
And has not denied my name.
Kept my word and not denied my name. Three things that go together. Liberal strength. Keeping his word, not denying his name. Now doesn't this take you back to Malachi 316?
Oh, remember how Malachi 316 begins with the word? Then then what? What then? Why then, when the proud were called Happy Day that attempt God were set up as models to be copied when everything was at its blackest in Israel's history. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another, the Lord hearkened and heard it. Book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and had thought upon his name.
The Lord, His name, His word. Oh, here it is at the closing of this day, at the close of the Church's history.
The Lord still has a path, and he still has a place.
Now lest anyone that say that I misrepresenting things, let me make this statement.
I am not claiming to be Philadelphia.
But the characteristics of Philadelphia are little strength.
Keeping his word and not denying his name. Not our name. Not denying his name, the name of Christ.
Do we answer to that, brethren?
All to be Philadelphian in spirit, to be Philadelphian in heart. But there is such a thing that the Lord has revived a certain amount of truth. We were speaking about it day before yesterday that the Lord did revive the truth of the Lord's coming that was lost for centuries, never mentioned. Over 1000 years, 1500 or more years in Church history, the Lord revived the truth of His coming, the heavenly calling of the Church.
Reminded us again that we were in, but not of the world, and now there's an attempt to overthrow all that was recovered.
But thank God, it will go on to the end. In each of these last four churches, it speaks of something of the Lord's coming, so they go down to the end.
I have set before thee an open door.
With the NCC, officials could stop it.
They would close such avenues.
I mean, the National Council of Churches let's anybody misunderstand me.
The whole I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Always, as you may be, despised and little thought of now.
But I'm going to publicly acknowledge you another day. I'm going to have them know that I loved you.
And then I was in accord with your stand, even though you were faithful, even though you were had little strength.
Thought little brother knew, we crave the Lord's approval.
Are we willing to go on in a little path, you say? Oh, we're so weak.
Only a few is where I come from.
Only a handbook.
Didn't the Lord say I know that you have little strength.
Doesn't he not?
Well, go on faithfully anyway. He's going to repay it. He's going to reward it.
But remember that the one to whom were gathered is represented here as holy and true.
Let's not forget it, brethren. There is a danger in these days of falling.
Rapidly falling morality that we're apartment to think lightly of moral sin. We're apartment to think well, it isn't so serious.
Things do not need to be judged and put away.
Condition in the world and the thoughts of man have nothing to do with the Church of God.
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He that is holy and he that is true, let us keep that in mind.
Now he says, because thou hast kept the word of my patience. Oh Christ is waiting.
He's waiting there. He seated in God's right hand until his enemies are made his foot. To thou God said to him, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. He's waiting, he says. You've kept the word of my patience. Are you waiting and patience for him? You say it's a long wait. Well, go on. A little more patience, a little more endurance.
Because I has kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, or the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try them to dwell on the earth.
Now I want to call your attention to the language of this verse. I will keep thee from the hour of temptation.
Argue about Greek till they're blue in the face trying to prove that the church has to go through the coming great tribulation.
But here it's plain and unmistakable. I'm going to keep you out of the hour of it.
Jacob is going to be saved through it. The remnant of Israel will be saved through the great tribulation.
But here he says to the church, I will keep thee from the hour of it, the very time in which it will take place.
This is absolutely conclusive as well as many other scriptures.
Church of God will not go through the tribulation. We are not waiting for the tribulation, we are waiting for the Lord to come and that may happen today.
The big thing for us to remember is that we're gathered to him that is holy, and him that is true.
And to walk accordingly and faithfully until that moment.
Now then, the last.
14th verse.
Under the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, write these things set the all men, the faithful and true witness. Notice that the Lord represents himself as a faithful and true witness. Here, in contrast to what the Church of God has been in her responsibility. In her responsibility, she's been an unfaithful witness, he says. I'm the faithful and true witness.
The beginning of the creation of God. The creation of God is new creation.
The first one that rose from the dead.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou Wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.
What's the characteristic of the last stage of Christianism Lukewarm.
Indifference.
You can say anything you want in many places of Christians to say about the name of Christ, about the person of Christ, about the blood of Christ, and go on as a good fellow member indifference to Christ.
But don't say anything about ecumenicalism or out you go.
Some of the biggest places.
All lukewarm.
The Lord says, I Would thou Wert colder or hot? So then, because thou art Luke, warm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Is that the end of Christendom? Yes, in its responsibility and its outward profession.
Is going to spew the whole profession out of his mouth. But first he's going to come and take the Christians home. But the whole great conglomerate is going to be spewed out of his mouth as something nauseous to him. That's coming. But there is not far off and iniquities rising to new heights every day. Lukewarmness is characteristic of the day rather than remember.
Philadelphia is not gone, but Laodicea is here, and we're all more or less influenced by the things that are around us. We're apartment to be influenced by the lukewarmness of the day.
We always seem to get the backwash from these things.
Rather than let us do what may we desire to go on.
In freshness of first love, faithfulness to Christ, falling fast His word and not denying His name, waiting for him to take us out. And how about these others?
Because thou sayest I am rich.
And increased with goods.
And in need of nothing. If you want to read, if you want to see something about that.
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Read the account that was given to the Assembly of the National Council of Churches just a year ago in San Francisco, or almost a year ago.
And they told about the increase in numbers, the increase in giving, the increase in church buildings.
Everything was up and up and up.
I am rich and increased with goods, and of need of nothing, and when they get the Grand Ecumenical Church going.
They will boast it better than ever, nothing to stop them.
What? The Lord is going to spew the whole thing out of his mouth?
That's the end of the professing church on earth, Christ's utter rejection of it. The thing is obnoxious to it. Think of indifference to Christ. Think of tolerating blasphemers in the pulpits. Think of tolerating men to deny the virgin birth, the inspiration of Scripture.
And yet everything go on together. All is well. Hail fellow well, men.
Build a bigger organization, get more collections, send out more missionaries to teach more heathen about the apostate church.
Tell the mall about modernism.
Oh, that's what's here.
I counseled. Notice this 18th verse. I counseled thee to buy of me gold. Try it in the fire. Gold is divine righteousness. They don't have it.
This is the thing at large in the main.
That thou may us be rich and white, raiment to righteousness.
The kind that the church, the bride will be arranged.
That thou mayest be clothed, that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear to be unclothed, is to be devoid of Christ.
And anoint Dinah and thine eyes have to anoint. Thine eyes with it should read. They don't have anything to see with. They need to get that from Christ in order to see.
As many as I loathe, I rebuke and chase, and be zealous therefore, and repent. Now notice in this 20th verse, Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
At the close of these addresses to the seven churches, the Lord takes the place on the outside of it all, he says. I'm on the outside and I'm knocking.
And he doesn't say I want to get into that cold, lifeless, lukewarm thing either. He says if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him and will Sup with him and he with me. He says that there's an individual in that that wants personal communion. I'll I'll give it to it. I'll come into him, not into Laodicea, not into the lukewarm mess today.
No, it's a call to individuals in it.
There are a few with whom he may have personal communion.
When all brethren who wants to be in a mass of lukewarmness.
How long can something red hot stay in the midst of something cool?
Won't it all be cool too before long?
Doesn't attend that way.
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am sat down it with my father and his job. He's reached the end of the goal. He's seated at God's right hand. He says, Oh, if you best be faithful, I'll give you a place with me on my throat.
Brethren, there is warning in this chapter. In these two chapters. There is instruction in these two chapters, and there is encouragement too. Let us go on. Let us seek to maintain warmth of affection to our Blessed Lord, faithfulness to His name, true to His word, and going on in faithfulness to that blessed moment.
It looks like I went a long time overtime, but I see the card said we could go to 5:00, so.
I don't need to apologize.
Some brother of him.
22 in the appendix.
Thou holy one and true are hearts, and thee confide, and in the circle of thy love as brethren, we abide.
Teaches that name to own while waiting, Lord, for thee unholiness and sin to shun from all untruth to flee.
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22 in the abandoned.