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Revelation Chapter 3.
Was your thought, Brother Chuck to begin with verse one, Chapter 3. Read through the whole chapter on our first reading.
Revelation Chapter 3, verse One.
And unto the Angel of the church in Sardis right.
These things said 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 art dead.
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die, for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard.
And hold fast and repent If therefore thou shalt not watch.
I will come on thee as a thief. Thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
A few names, even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments, and they shall walk with me.
In white, for they are worthy.
He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment. And I will not plot out his name. I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit said unto the churches.
And through the Angel of the church in Philadelphia, right these things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, And no man shut it and shut us, and no man openeth I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it, For thou hast a little strength, and has kept my word, and has not denied my name.
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not.
But to lie, Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Because I was kept the word of my patients, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come.
Upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out. And I will ride upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God. And I will write upon him my new name, He that hath been here. Let him hear what the Spirit said unto the churches.
And unto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans rite.
These things set the Amen, the faithful, and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.
I would thou Wert cold or hot.
So then, because our lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spew the out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knoweth not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked.
I counsel thee to buy of Maine gold tried in the fire that thou mayst be rich.
And white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear.
And anoint thine eyes with I shall that thou mayest see.
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock.
If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will Sup with him and he with me.
For him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with my Father.
In his throne he that happened here, let him hear what the Spirit said unto the churches.
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In chapter one.
The Book of Revelation in verse 19 is divided.
Well, let's read the verse, write the things which thou hast seen referring to the vision.
Of the Son of Man in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks that John had just seen.
And the things which are.
That has to do with the 2nd and the 3rd chapters.
The things which are the present church period, And then the things which shall be hereafter after these things. And that's what you get in the rest of the Book of Revelation.
The whole Book of Revelation is.
Prophetical, and it's highly figurative, and it uses symbolical language quite often.
So God teaches by symbols. It's very powerful way of teaching the truth.
Well, in these seven churches, Ephesus represents the.
Post Apostolic period, right after the apostles had passed off the scene and then Smyrna, a time of great persecution which broke out on the early church. Pergamos is the conversion apparently. At least we don't know if it was real or not, of Constantine, the Emperor of Rome who embraced Christianity as the national religion up till then and right before that.
Christians were greatly persecuted, which was the Smyrna period. And then comes Pergamus, which means marriage. And really the Christians who did not fully grasp what was happening hailed that as the the real blessing of God and that God was bringing about a conversion of the world. The world was being converted to Christianity.
And so we have the marriage of the world and the Church.
It was an unholy union. It was really the downfall of the Church ever since then.
The Church has been worldly and the world has been churchy, but and we even have fallen into the thought of calling this nation a Christian nation.
It's true that this nation has been favorable to Christianity, but it's also favorable to Hinduism. It's also favorable to Mohammedanism. It's also favorable to Buddhism. In other words, any religion.
Is all right. That's the attitude of the government today. Freedom of religion means not only freedom of the true religion, but also of the false ones. So that's anything but Christian. That's not a Christian attitude at all. Well, there's no such thing as a Christian nation. There are those that have been favorable and have allowed Christianity.
And the very fact that we have a conference today.
This weekend is a proof of that, that this country under which we live has allowed freedom of religion. While that was Pergamus. And then came Thyatira.
Really. Romanism in the Dark Ages and the last four. The first three we might comment were successional 1 succeeded after the other and the previous one passed away.
But when you come to Thyatira and the last three that we've read of this morning, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, the last four all go on to the coming of the Lord, so they are.
They are states. They're conditions of the assembly that go on to the end. The Roman Church will go on to the end. Sardis, which represents Protestantism, that will go on to the end.
Philadelphia, which represents the recovery of truth of the last century especially.
That will go on to the end and Laodicea the.
Latitudinarian, indifferent state of things that seems to permeate.
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The mass of Christendom today, there's not a company.
That is not affected by the Laodicean spirit of things, lukewarmness. And they all go on to the end. The last four, the last two. I just suggest some general comments. The last two are more states than positions. The Philadelphia is a spiritual condition.
Which results in a scriptural position.
But it's more a state of things, and the same is true of Laodicea. It's especially a spiritual condition. The one is Philadelphia is being fervent for the Lord, and Laodicea is a wishy, washy, indifferent, lukewarm state of things.
Sardis and Thyatira are ecclesiastical positions. One is Rome.
And then we have in Sardis we have all the state churches.
The various Protestant bodies which are recognized by the governments as being religious institutions. Philadelphia is not so recognized by the governments.
In in the same way it is not.
A something that is as tangible and you can point to it and say that's Philadelphia, you can point to that which is Thyatira and Sardis and say that's that.
But Philadelphia is more a condition of heart and devotedness to the Lord, going on for Him and adhering to biblical principles of truth.
Well, that's just some introductory comments that might help us to better understand as we look at these last three churches, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, just to add a few more introductory remarks.
I think it's very timely that we are considering this portion of the scripture and we'll notice the first verse of the book.
Revelation 11 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him.
To show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass so that it is prophetic. It was prophetic at the time John received it. Let's look in the last chapter and we'll see that the same statement comes in chapter 22. We're looking at a book of prophecy.
And who can foretell and foretell accurately, but gone?
With God, if we can think of it, there is no past, There is no future. It's an eternal present. I can't comprehend that. But known unto God are all his works from the foundation of the world. And now he is telling us so that we can get a hold of these things and see that the word of God is divine in the 22nd chapter in the sixth verse.
And he said unto me, These things are faithful and true.
And the Lord.
God of the holy prophets sent his Angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. Now let's go back to Jeremiah and get a verse which tells us what a true prophet is.
We've got a book of prophecy given to John by the Lord himself to tell us what was going to take place.
From that point where John got it on the Isle of Patmos.
And it's very applicable in 1990 and when we see this confirmed.
And much of it fulfilled, we cannot doubt God's word in the 28th chapter of Jeremiah.
The 28th chapter, Jeremiah. You can read the whole chapter for yourself.
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But there's a comment in the ninth verse that we want to get.
The Prophet which prophesied the peace.
Now that was Hananiah, but this last part was to be the judgment upon Hananiah's prophecy as well as upon Jeremiah's prophecy. And it's always true when the word of the prophet shall come to pass.
Then shall the prophet be known that the Lord hath truly sent him.
Ananiah wasn't sent. Jeremiah wants his word was confirmed. Now let's go to John chapter 16 to see.
How the future was going to be made known in this age. It's by the Holy Spirit sat down and the Holy Spirit who wrote the whole of the book, including the Revelation, and it's for our interest and when we see what he is doing in the 13th verse for those who are gods, those who belong to him.
Those who are believers.
It's very precious John 16 verse 13 Howbeit when he the spirit of truth is come.
And he is come, brother. He came and he stays here. He is not leaving till we do. So we get in the end of revelation. The spirit of the bride say, come, he's going to stay here until we go up. We were singing, come, Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit's going to stay here till that time. And then he's going to leave this scene too. That will open the door for all the judgments. And it says here Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth is come.
What's he going to do? He will guide you into all truth. Don't we want that truth? We get it out of God's book. For he shall not speak of himself or independently, but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak now this last phrase, and he will show you things to come.
Now that's very definitely in the Book of Revelation. My brother has given a little resume of the things which were to come as to the forming of the church down here below by the Spirit of God and the first three phases, the 1St 3 stages of the Church's history.
Prophetically given to us in Ephesus, Smyrna, and Pergamos.
Are over with.
We can look back in history and it confirms that. It confirms what the Prophet said. They're over with. The last four are here, as he said. Now, I think the point for me perhaps for you is in which one of these does God see me to be? I'm going to be in one of these four, either in Thyatira as a witness or in Sardis as a witness or in Philadelphia as a witness.
Were in Laodicea as a witness. Very exercising, isn't it? Now we should probably comment yet that while the primary application is prophetic and gives us a historical view, I believe we can at any time.
Apply these messages to any local assembly, and especially when we think for instance of emphasis.
Leaving the first loss or even the.
Pergamus condition. The people of God today might fall into that kind of a spirit, or in our assemblies we might allow that kind of spirit to enter. If, for instance, we would involve ourselves in political matters. That's the Pergamus spirit and trying to set the world right.
That's the program of spirit, so we can apply it morally to any assembly at any time. But also another interesting point is that in the last four we find that the overcomer is addressed before.
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The words are utterly that has an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit say unto the churches. In the first three it is reversed.
That seems to indicate, does it not, that the Lord realizes that in the conditions described in the last four churches, that he does not really expect that everyone in that church will hear, but at the overcomer will hear, will listen, and May God give us grace, that we will listen to what the Spirit has to say.
To the churches now, another interesting point that we find in Sardis, for instance.
It seems that.
There is an indication that Sardis, at least part of Sardis might continue beyond the rest of Christendom, because the Lord speaks of himself coming as a thief in the night. We know that the mass of Christendom is judged not by the Lord himself, he is judged.
Using the beast, you know, it's so obnoxious to him that he does not himself judge it. He uses the revived Roman Empire to judge that horror that rides the beasts at first, but there seems to be an indication that part of Sardis might continue and might be judged by the Lord himself.
One here sometimes I feel been misused.
The entire Tyra and Sardis is that people are encouraged to continue in Sardis and continue in Taya Tyra because of the encouragement given to them. Entire Tyra who have not known the depths of Satan as they say and so on.
But I believe that is not using the word of God rightly. We have to remember that prophetically.
There was a time when there was nothing but Thyatira, and at such a time that has especially meaning to Saints who find themselves in that situation the same.
In Sardis, there was a time when God, in a definite way, let his people out of Thyatira when the Reformation began, but it fell short.
You know it did not really. As the word is used. The works are not perfect. They were not really let into all that God had for them because of their political involvement, allowing the Princess to take advantage of the Reformation. But again, there was a situation where there wasn't anything beyond Sardis and Saints living at that time can find encouragement in the.
Verses that encouraged them in that condition.
Today I believe that the Spirit of God would in a definite way seek to exercise souls to come out of these unscriptural positions. We should not use these verses to encourage people at this present time after the Spirit has worked in a definite way to lead souls out of the darkness of Catholicism and out of the debt formality of Protestantism.
To encourage them with these verses to continue in it, to come out from among them and be separate sayeth the law, and mention that the last four go on to the end, which is true, but we find them commencing at different periods. They don't all start at the same time, but they do, after they've started, continue on to the end.
I would just like to notice.
In Revelation 2 and the end of verse 24.
The encouragement given to those entire attire, I will put upon you none other burden but that which you have already. Hold fast till I come, and that indicates that they will go on down to the end. It brings in the truth of the Lord's coming. Now if we go to the chapter we read and verse 11.
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Behold, I come quickly.
Hold our path which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
All entire tire. They were to look for the coming of the Lord. But now?
We're going to behold. I come quickly, we've come right down to the end. His coming is evident, and I think we need to keep that before us at any moment. We may now hear that call to meet the Lord in the air.
There's another thought with regards to.
Cyrus Thyroid If a person in Romanism learns of the depths of Satan, my brother quoted part of a person Second Corinthians chapter 6 that I thought we might look at. If a person comes across these verses reading the word of God, comes across evil and wicked doctrine in a system, then there's responsibility for believer, a person that has faith. And 2nd Corinthians chapter 6.
In verse 14.
Handsome thoughts be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has liked in darkness? And what concord hath Christ Belial? Or what part have you to believe it without infidel? And what agreement has the temple of God the idol? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Work, work, come out from among them in these separate states the Lord, and touch not the unclean things, and I will receive you. I will be a father, as you, and you shall be my sons and daughters. Say it, the Lord Almighty, the call to come out.
Responsibility and those that are in Romanism. I was in Romanism. There's a lot of brethren that have been gathered to the Lords name as well as those who and their buddies artists today that the Lord has shown these truths to. So in responsibility they came out from a month that they recognized as evil and wicked.
We have here in verse three of the first chapter what tells us that these things are for us and are good? Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy and keep the things which are written there is. Now we've been mentioning the three assemblies or churches as they're called here in the third chapter, but notice what it says.
To Philadelphia, the two things that are exhorted in verse 8 At the end thou hast kept my word and not denied my name. And you know it's precious, for we should be exercised when it says and keep those things written therein. It's come down to that. But that is everything to the Lord, and it's everything to our Father just to be in obedience to His words.
Simplicity of that, and not to deny his name and along that thought, you'll find this expression in the second chapter.
That the first verse, the one that walketh in the midst.
That's the one his name gives us the place where he is, where his word is obeyed. And the other thought I have is the 7 golden candlesticks, the light here in this Dark World. And you know, in prophecy God is able to take anything like that and to choose what he will, to bring out the whole that he's trying to tell. And so when you have seven, you have that number.
The heavenly number of completeness and fulfillment. And so we have the complete story of the Church in the seven assemblies, and it's lovely to see how that can speak to our hearts as we see them. We're only going to take the three. But one last thought is you have this expression several times mentioned at verse seven in the second chapter. He that hath an ear to ear or he that hath an ear, let him hear.
What the Spirit says to the churches, and you have that again and again and again.
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In the Gospels it's this way He's that hath the near, let him hear.
For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But here we have those that are already his. They've heard and they have faith He's writing to his own. And so it's the spirit capital F that teaches the assemblies the Church never teaches, contrary to Christmas today.
The Church never teaches. The Church is taught. So we have that wonderful principle brought out that we can be taught and how precious that is. We ask for it and our prayers that the Spirit have liberty, and I believe we get that right from this portion.
God has avenues so old you've called attention to them. Blessed is he that readeth we have eyes and he that hath ear an ear to hear, let him hear. We noticed in revelation it's singular. In the gospel it's ears to hear and God is when he comes down to the last book, as he said to me, if you if you just got one ear you better listen and.
So he is writing to us now suppose.
A person gets the book I'm thinking perhaps of many I've seen in Bolivia, Peru. They get this Bible and they start reading it for the first time. I've seen it over and over again. And they come to the Book of Revelation. They read through it.
All this symbolic teaching and the Spirit of God opens up slowly.
To them. And they're identified with this great church called Thyatira, nearly 100% of them down there. But what are they going to do about separation? They come down to the 18th chapter. Let's look in the 18th chapter, which is in the scale, in the plan, yet prophetic.
But when a person reads today, he can make it use of it.
We've read in Corinthians what to do now. In this book it tells what to do too.
In order not to get caught in the judgment that are coming. For this is a book of judgment. This this is the Lord taking up the title deed to this herb and cleansing the earth, and taking possession of it and the company to reign with him above.
But here's a man reading the book he reads in Revelation. He comes down.
And he reads about Babylon, the greats fallen, and all this judgment which is yet future. And then he comes to the fourth verse. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Then right now there is an application to be made to separate from that which is dishonouring to the Lord.
And Thyatira.
A couple of things that have been said Pergamus.
Letting the church, letting the world come in and rule in the church. That was the Paul and Constantine's time. He gained control and he thought, well, I'm going to get a hold of the church. So he opened the door for the church, and then he began to rule in the church. And he's the one that set up bishops. Well, the thing turned around on itself in Thyatira. And those bishops got so powerful, they turned around and ruled in the world.
And that's the character of Fire Trier to this day.
Now, as to start it, we must not say that Sardis is the Reformation.
The picture shown in Sardis is what the Reformation developed into.
Because of allowing the Princess to take advantage of the Reformation for political gain, they wanted to use the Reformation the German Princess to get out from under the Roman yoke.
So what actually happened because of that is that they were delivered from the idolatrous system of the Catholic Church, but they were continuing in the evil that was introduced in Pergamus. They were really not delivered from the Pergamus evil. And so you have these German Lutheran Church and and and all of these it. It is obviously living proof that they were not delivered from.
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The program is evil, and there is some similarity there with.
Matthew 13.
The tree that grew, the mustard seed that grew into a tree, and the birds found a nesting place in it. You know, the church, the followers of the Lord Jesus were never to be in the place of prominence and political power.
Any influence they were to be their treasure hid in the fields. That's the true character of the church, to be nobody. But we see that in the Pergamus Church coming in and continuing in sardines. Now we are very thankful for the Reformation because that was definitely a work of God and the truth of justification by faith was clearly re established.
And brought back before God's people what their justification was. I don't believe the reformers understood, but they did understand that it was by faith and not by work, and neither did they understand in the Reformation the universal priesthood of all believers. They did not understand the heavenly calling and that our worship is within the veil. They didn't know the rapture. They didn't understand the Kingdom truth.
But all these other things could only be given back to us afterwards because of that wonderful truth of justification by faith being given back to God's people. So we're thankful for the Reformation, but we're sad to see the condition described in Sardis, which is really Protestantism, when the Princess and the Reformers.
Join hands and that really doomed that work.
Which was indeed the work of the Spirit of God.
To have and.
Verse one of our chapter something that might speak to the hearts of each one of us under the Angel of the church in Sardis. Now you find that each one of the letters is addressed to the Angel of the church. And I like to look at it as those that are in a position of responsibility, though it's addressed because those that are in a position of responsibility particularly. But then it goes on to say, as we've already noticed.
He that hath an ear to hear.
Let them hear so each one of us.
Is responsible to hear.
Spirit of God is saying now goes on to say these things that he that hath the seven spirits of God.
Complete knowledge of everything that is going on and the Seven Stars. Oh, you're still holding his own in his hands. I know thy works.
Said of each one of the churches. I know thy works.
He sees into our hearts. He knows exactly what we're doing.
That thou hast the name that thou liveth.
All I anticipate.
There's none in this room would say they were not a Christian. Thou hast the name that thou liveth and art death, O the love, are we truly the Lord? Think of it professing Christendom, making a profession of the name of Christ and our dead no life there.
All that each one of us may truly know the Lord as our Savior.
That the profession we make of knowing him may indeed be a living reality. We're spoken of as living stones, not dead ones.
In regard to the principle that our brother just enunciated.
It is consistent with God's dealings with man throughout his entire history that he addresses the responsible agent in the community.
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When Eli's sons failed miserably in their sin, it was to Eli that God addressed his remarks. When the prophet Micah addressed his remarks, it was to Samaria and to Jerusalem.
When Zephaniah addressed his remarks, he said, I will judge the Princess, the king.
Of the nation was to be addressed. And so it's consistent with all of God's dealings that the responsible element is always addressed. It does not relieve any of us of responsibility, but it is consistent with God and his ways with us that he addresses the responsible, responsible agent in the assembly and the family and the government. It's always the head, because if you control the head, you control the body, do you not?
That's sent to Sardis. It's his responsibility as sovereign, his sovereign responsibility of the Lord himself. He holds the seven Stars and so on the candlesticks, but down in Philadelphia notice he addresses them. He that is holy and he that is true over against what you get in Laodicea, the Amen and faithful witness.
So when it comes to Philadelphia.
Be thou holy as I am holy. It's something he could say to them. It's something he could exercise them in going on, whereas in in Laodicea it's it's come out from among them. They couldn't be continued and addressed that way in something he's going to spew out of his mouth, but it's a faithful witness, the ultimate word still coming.
To that condition in these last days that we have right now, well, it's much different than the holy and true Thou has kept my word. That's why he could say the truth and the holy did not denied by name. Lovely to see them. You can address them in those different ways according to their state and condition.
In Doctor we have the vision of the Lord and it says in verse 16 he had in his right hand seven stars and in verse 20 he says the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches.
In every one of the addresses through Sardis, the way the Lord presents himself to the assembly.
Goes back and borrows from one of the things stated of the Lord Jesus in that vision.
Notice in chapter 2, verse one these things say if he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand and walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, that's from the vision in chapter one verse 8, unto the Angel of the church in Smyrna, right? These things saith the 1St and the last which was dead and is alive. That again goes back to the.
Statements from the first chapter and again in verse.
12 Unto the Angel of the church in Pergolas right these things say, if he which hath the sharp, sharp sword with two edges, again taken from the vision of chapter one, verse 18 Under the Angel of the church in Thyatira write these things, saith the Son of God. Now that's added.
This is addressed to Thyatira, which was a picture of Romanism. Who they make so much about him as the Son of Mary. I thought that the Lord presents himself as the Son of God. But then who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire? And his feet are like fine brass. Again taken from the vision of the first chapter.
And then Art verse, chapter 3, verse one, these things that saith he that hath the seven spirits of God. That's taken again from chapter one and the seven stars. It doesn't say that he's holding them in his right hand here it just says and the seven stars.
The seven spirits of God that might they puzzle someone. What does that mean? This is presented in the first chapter.
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Of verse 4 John, To the seven churches which are in Asia, grace be unto you, and peace from him which is and which was and which is to come, and from the seven spirits which are before his throne.
This refers to the Spirit of God in a governmental aspect, the fullness of the power of the Spirit of God emanating from the throne. And it says in the 5th chapter they're sent forth into all the earth. I've heard it said that after the rapture of the Church, when the Spirit of God will go with the assembly as in dwelling it, that the Spirit of God won't won't be here anymore.
Well, that's not quite right. The Book of Revelation speaks of the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. Let's look at that verse in the 5th chapter.
Verse 6 And I beheld And lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders stood a lamb as it had been slain, having 7 horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. The spirit of God will no longer be here in dwelling, the house inhabiting the house as the dwelling place of God by the spirit. That's what the assembly is when the assembly goes.
The spirit will go in that character and in that way.
But He will. He has always worked in this world, in the hearts of men, from the beginning, and he will continue to do so after the church is raptured. But he won't be dwelling on the earth as he is today in the assembly. That's the difference. But he will be here, connected with the throne, connected with the government of of God, reestablishing His rights down here in this scene.
So the spirit of God is mentioned as the seven spirits of God to Sardis.
Sardis was the church that imbibed the false principles of Pergamus to resort to governmental power.
To help them to get freed, as we've heard from the tyranny of Rome, Thyatira and the Lord presents himself as the one who has the seven spirits of God. He has all the power of government in and in his hand, as it were, and at his disposal.
They were making the mistake of going to an arm of the flesh to.
Support them and to shelter them from the persecution of Rome.
Instead of looking to him who has all the power to protect.
And also the one that has the seven spirits of God.
The one that holds that that has the seven stars, I should say, and I want to make a comment about the seven stars. We're told that they are the angels of the seven churches, and he addresses the Angel. What was the star for? You go back to the very first chapter of Genesis, the first book in the Bible.
He made the stars also the stars to rule the night. The sun and the moon. The sun to rule the day. The moon and the stars to rule the night. The moon's a picture of the church. The Sun's a picture of Christ. The stars. The Lord holds them. The light bearers, those who are set in the assembly to give light to the assembly. The assembly is set down here to give light to the world. Their lamp stands to radiate light to those roundabouts. But there are stars.
In the assembly, to bring the truth of God to the assembly, to be the teachers and the rulers in the assembly, the responsible element, as we've heard, they're the ones who are addressed, Hebrews 13 says. Obey your leaders, for they watch over your souls as those that must give account the principle of democracy entering into the church, which is everyone having a right to express his opinion.
That's really Laodicea is not of God. It's never been of God. God has established an order and authority in the assembly, and we're to observe that we're to to be subject to those who are our leaders and who lead us in the truth, who rule in the assembly, and who minister the truth of God. We don't have an official ordained leadership.
Such as they had in the early church elders, but we have those that would qualify.
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And the Lord addresses the Angel of the assembly, the responsible element. So the Angel is the figurative, symbolical representation of the responsibility of the Assembly, those who rule and give light, those who teach in the assembly, and they are responsible for the state of the Assembly. We older brethren, are held accountable for the state of the Assembly.
In these days, as always, a very solemn thing, and that must be owned by all 1 Brother said in these comments that we're all responsible. And that's true, but there are certainly those who are, especially in that place of responsibility. And here the Lord has the seven spirits about the fullness of the power of the Holy Spirit.
And he presents himself in that character. He has the Seven Stars.
And yet there was there was the blatant failure in Sardis of going to earthly governments for protection instead of to him who had the full power that they could have gone to. But they didn't. They failed in that. I think that was the downfall of the Reformation, as the spirit of God was there, and leading them out and leading them on into the truth of justification by faith alone, the old sufficiency of the Word of God.
To guide us and leading them out. And then it stopped when they resorted to an arm of the flesh. Philadelphia is not limited by that. Philadelphia is the full recovery of the truth. And it's not just a part of the truth. There's a part of the truth recovered here, but Philadelphia is the full recovery of it. It's good to see these things we are reading when we read the seven churches.
History fulfilled. Fulfilled History the only inspired historical account propheticly given.
Of the history of the church marvelous to get a hold of it. And.
To see where we are and what these things are all about. The 1St in Isaiah.
A verse in Isaiah Chapter 11 That I'd like to call attention to.
Isaiah Chapter 11.
Our brother has been talking to us about the seven spirits of God.
Well, you and I know that there is only one Holy Spirit, so I'd like to just.
Share with you a verse that's been very helpful to me.
To understand what our brother Hendricks has been saying about the seven administrative governmental.
Aspects of the spirit of God and in Isaiah Chapter 11, I believe we have these seven.
Governmental aspects. And I'd like to ask you to look at verse 2 now. Count them on your fingers when I read them. There are seven of them. Count them on your fingers. The Spirit of the Lord, that's one, shall rest upon him. A spirit of wisdom. That's true.
The spirit of understanding, That's three. The spirit of counsel.
That's four, The Spirit of might. That's five, the Spirit of Knowledge. That's six the Spirit of the fear of the Lord. Well, it's been helpful to me. And according to what the way I understand it, these are the seven manifestations of the administration of the Spirit of God in government upon the earth. And so I have made a note in my Bible that Isaiah 11 verse two is is what explained what we have in Revelation.
When it talks about the seven spirits of God, it's not that there are 7 spirits, but there are 7 aspects of his administration in the world.
In verse two of our chapter again referring to it has been said as a state.
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain.
Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain.
We need to watch, for the enemy would seek to rob us of the present enjoyment of our blessings.
We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
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And the enemy would seek to rob us of the present enjoyment of it.
We don't enter into I know I have to hold myself and don't enter into the wonderful blessings that are ours that we will enjoy in the coming day. But by faith we can enjoy them now. Satan would seek to rob us of that. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain. Well, how do we gain strength? Simply by feeding on the precious word of God.
That are ready to die.
Ready to be let go?
All these things that were recovered to us, do we value them? Do we hold them past Or are we letting them go. As of things of no account are ready to die. For I have not found thy works perfect before God. Now it takes us back. When he said I know thy works. Oh, He can look into our hearts. He sees our state.
In other words, brother.
Things that remain by Ralph speak to all of our hearts, the hearts of all those who tried to be a help to the people of God. Hopefully we are not in a Stardust position, but that verse can certainly speak to all of our hearts.
I use it as a state in our position.
But it certainly applies that Philadelphia position too. Our eight brother Walter Potter, I remember him saying that this is the time to strengthen the things that remain. We're not looking for a further recovery. There were two recoveries in the times of the Kings, one in Hezekiah.
Time and another in Josiah's time, he said there have been two times of recovery in the church's history, one in Sardis, the Reformation.
When the truth was fully brought to light, don't look for another revival, he says. Strengthen the things that remain.
You only find in Ephesus.
Uh, verse 5, the end of verse 5.
I might read it all. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent.
And do the 1St works, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
We only found that find that mentioned with Sardis.
Is it?
They cease to be responsible as a life bearer and dear ones. How feeble really is the light we bear ourselves? Maybe someone can comment on that.
The situation we find, or the danger that exists amongst the gathered Saints, is that we forget.
The truth that has been recovered subsequent to the Reformation, and that we have a responsibility as those gathered to the name of the Lord to make these truths our own and to cling to them as the Lord in His grace enables us to do. What we do see is that people turn to those who have fallen short and have not embraced the truth that was rediscovered.
In the Philadelphia period.
And we turn to them for instruction and help. No wonder that there are those amongst the gathered Saints who are confused as to their ecclesiastical position. They are adrift like a ship without a rudder, because they have subjected themselves to those who have not embraced the truth to the influence and their teaching, those who have not embraced the truth.
Discovered at a later period.
From Revelation chapter one and verse three, I know Revelation sometimes seems to be a difficult book for us, but there's a promise there for us. They said blessed is he to read it.
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Then they hear the words of this prophecy. I think we get a promised blessing here.
Now, you know, if I would sit here and quote pleasure or get it to our brethren on what they thought of the revelation, I'd be going to my to the field and I'd be taking my bucket in there and I'd be bringing the bucket out full of full of things. The scripture says we can go into the field to partake of the great of the vineyard, and we're not to take a bucket.
I want to tell you where it's a vineyard.
A real a little simple buff, nice and thin on the revelation. My brother Hamilton Smith for young people might be very encouraging on their revelation and somebody else would rather directly in some of these vineyards to you if you could go new and green and that you can be in this book Revelation for blessing.
Brother Death's book on Daniel and then his book on Revelation are also very good too. Just a vineyard of those who were alive at that time. I'd rather dinner Kelly Darby. Who? Florence Frosty's brothers. And gave him the truth, just as some of them that are mentioned have been gathered to the Lord's name when the recovery of the truth's healing. We have this vineyard with us today. That's why there's a Bible too publicly.
And press the truth publisher so that that vineyard material could be available. It's not that we should go into the bucket and carry it out. Go in there and eat, and what I can eat and what you can eat can be brought forth in the assembly, which is the allocation of the spirit of God.
The Spirit of God bring us out for our edification.
It's wonderful to think of the truth recovered at Sardis, but it's been very well pointed out to us so far in these reading, this reading that we are living way beyond Sardis. We're living after the recovery of Philadelphia.
We're actually living in the very last moments and so to feed on ministry that comes from Sardis.
Protestantism, those who are in the recognized, established religious bodies, that's what Sardis is, to feed on that ministry. You are simply not going to get the recovered truth of Philadelphia. You're not going to get that which the spirit of God wanted to give to Sardis, but they fell short of it, wanted to give to the reformers.
But they fell short of it. Thank God for what was restored and recovered then.
But there was a second revival in the last century, and now all the truth that God intends for us to enjoy has been recovered, and we must recognize that. I think the mistake that has been made, and they're probably guilty of it, and that is that.
In seeking to stress the importance.
Of the recovered truth, we have promoted ourselves as a company, as though we are superior. That's wrong. That is wrong. We are no better than any of our brethren anywhere in Christendom. It's the truth that has been recovered that's important, Mr. Darby said. It is not brethren who are important, but the truth they have.
That's the important thing to get ahold of the truth. We are nothing and it's it's been stated here and we have to repeat it. We are nothing but sinners saved by grace. Not one bit better. I've even heard that some young people have asked the question after they say, is the loaf on the table Lord's Day Morning? Is that a picture of us as gathered to the Lord's name, or is that a picture of the whole Church of God?
It's a picture of the whole Church of God. It's a picture of every member of the body of Christ, whether he's gathered or scattered.
How important to recognize that? But I think the way we come across sometimes to our younger young people is that we are the people and wisdom will die with us. That's wrong. We are not anything but children of God by faith in Christ, and we have not one bit more than any of our other brethren. They may not be the in the enjoyment of it. Am I in the enjoyment of it? Are you in the enjoyment of it? And that's why we need to read the ministry that's been given us that brother ASA was referring to.
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You say is it better? Yes, it is better. Ministry, it is better it is. Read it, you'll see the difference.
Little thought in the book of Ruth.
Boys said to Ruth, Hearst thou not my daughter, go not to glean in another field, neither go from Hence wasn't there plenty of wheat and barley in other fields? Of course there was, and was the fields of Israel.
All around. But it was not the field of Boys. It was not where boys desired to see Bruce gleaning. And if she had gone to another field, read that precious little book and see how much.
That Ruth would have lost if she had gone to other fields. She had to stay in the field of Boaz. The person is everything, brethren. The person.