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Revelation 3 verse 9.
Revelation 3 beginning at verse 9.
Behold, I will make them at the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, But do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee, because thou hast kept the word of my patience. I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the earth, all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast, hold that fast.
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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 out no more. And I will write 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. That will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches, and unto the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans rite these things say at the Amen.
The faithful and the true witness the beginning of the creation of God. I know thy works, as thou art neither hot, neither cold nor hot. I would if I were cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold or hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth, because thou sayest I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and be miserable.
Poor and blind and naked.
I counsel thee tobiath me gold tried in the fire, But thou mayest 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 eye cells. Without me, as many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. He's Ellis, therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come into him.
And will suffer with him, and be with me to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne. And even as I also overcame, and I'm sat down with my father in his throne, See that half an ear. Let him hear what the Spirit sayeth unto the churches.
Look at the ninth verse. I'd like to make a few more comments on verse eight. I know thy works and every other instance where that occurs. Something follows that. He adds to that, but not here. All he says to the Philadelphian is I know thy works, and that is sufficient for the Philadelphian. He He takes his joy in the fact that he knows the works of the Philadelphia. He doesn't have to have it elaborated on or expanded upon, but just the.
The assurance that he knows.
The Philadelphians works. They may be maligned, they may be spoken against by the the systems of men that are represented in Sardis and Thyatira. But the fact that he knows is the comfort of the Philadelphia. He knows their works. And he says, I sat before thee an open door. No man can shut it all the power of Rome couldn't shut that door.
Or any other power. All the power of Satan. He is the one that has the power to open the door for that testimony. That Philadelphian testimony to go forth and a recovery of truth never known before in the history of the Church, took place in the last century. If you don't see that, if you don't understand that, you don't understand Philadelphia. You don't understand this epistle to Philadelphia now. It's the little strength. It wasn't something that men could look at and admire some great.
Thing that man had built up some mighty edifice. Nothing like that, just a little strain. Something that man would think of no account of. But he encourages them with that word. Something like where he says little flock, It is your father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom little clock, and here it's little strength.
What was it that was so beautiful that he valued so highly? Thou hast kept my word in a day when the masses, the multitudes, are not keeping it, he says to them to the Philadelphians. Can you say that to you? Can he say that to me? Thou hast kept my word, and not denied my name, that approbation from him.
And his knowing our works, The works of the Philadelphia, I should say.
Is enough to encourage the Philadelphians. There were the enemies there. There were those that spoke I'll of this little puny testimony as far as the eyes of man were concerned. And that's where we started this afternoon, verse nine, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which they say they are Jews and are not. But to lie, I will make them to come and to do homage. It's the thought, it's not not worship, literally, it's to do homage.
Before thy feet, and what to know that I have loved thee, the ones that have been so spoken against. This Philadelphian testimony reminds me of that the 53rd of Isaiah. He was despised, and we esteemed him not. The Philadelphia by the the church at large despises this testimony.
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They were despised. And so that they're going to come, those that have done that and bow before the feet of the Philadelphia and to know that he has loved them. That's a wonderful thing, isn't it? To just have his approbation, not man's. Man's is just the opposite. Now who are you trying to please? Who are we trying to please, man or the Lord? Philadelphia pleases the Lord.
Stumbling blocks the younger believers when they see so much of A lack of power seemingly.
In the various local gatherings, it's been a help to me to this expression in verse 8, where he says thou hast a little strength to compare it with what we have in the book of the Acts, Acts, Chapter 4 and verse 33 at the beginning of the Church's history down here.
It says, and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
The word power in verse 33 is the same word as we have in verse eight of our chapter strength. It's the same word.
In Acts, it's great power. In Philadelphia it's little, but it's the same power, and it's the power of the Spirit of God. And I think that's a help to see. We're living in days where the testimony is outwardly in ruins. Church of God and the mind of God is ever the same. It's perfect.
It's not divided, but we're talking now about the Lord Jesus walking in the outward.
Visible testimony down here. That's what the Candlestick is. And so he's judging what is visible down here. And so you may not see a lot of outward visible power. Still, the spirit of God that indwells us not only indwells us individually, but inhabits the house in a collective way is still here, brethren, and we can take consolation that that has never changed.
That is the same. Even though there may not be much outward evidence of power, still the power is the same. It is the Spirit of God. You remember in the Old Testament, when the Tabernacle and then the temple and the land were built, God sent a great visible sign of his presence in the Shekinah glory, that cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that stood over.
The Tabernacle, and then the temple, and was the visible evidence of the presence of God in the midst of his people. The time came when that cloud departed because of the sin that was allowed, And God allowed after time for these people to be carried away captive. And then he allowed a restoration, And after the restoration he never gave again the outward visible sign of his presence. It was something that could only be appreciated.
By faith in the word of God. And I think that's so important for us to get not to be controlled by what we see outwardly merely, but be to be controlled by what we find in the precious word of God. It hasn't changed, brethren. Spirit of God hasn't changed.
But faith is not controlled by what is outward and visible. Faith is always going simply by what God has written in His own precious word, and the Philadelphian is one who keeps that word.
When they returned back to the land, maybe we can turn to Haggai, because that's the similar conditions that they were in in the book of Haggai.
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In the book of Hegei, they have been turned. In the book of Azariah, they returned. I mean Azariah, they returned and they build. They build a foundation for the temple. They build the altar. And then they left it. There was about 536 BC. Here, the book of Haggai, about 520 BC, people had forgotten. There's no outward display of God's testimony. The only two chapters in this book, Aggie, I have to come in from the Lord telling them to consider their ways. And then?
He has to say to them, Let's turn to Haggai.
Verse 2 Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, These people say the time is not come, the time that the Lord house should be built. They're denying that they have not seen anything, and the Lord has to tell them yet that it's time, it's time to build a house for the Lord. In verse five it says consider your ways. In verse six it warns them, It says Ye have so ye have so much and bring in little.
You eat, but you have not enough. You drink, but you are not filled with drink. He clothed you, but there is none warm that he has earned wages, earned wages to put it in a bag with holes. So they were struggling trying to make ants meat. They were trying to do things their way. They are forgotten about God. And then I have to say, thus saith the Lord your host, consider your way, go up, go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house.
Now we know that Hegeii came in. He had to stir up the people. Two months later, we see a man like Zechariah would continue on. We see there's a rubber bull, and so on, and four years after that the temple was finished. But in this book it raised three questions as well that we should consider in the second chapter. And I'll read the questions and I'm not going to give answers to it there. One of the ways he encouraged them is in verse three of the second chapter.
He raised 3 questions.
First question is who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? Who is left among you that sold this house in her first glory? And we're looking back and compare what it was like before.
Is that what we're doing? Second question. How do ye see it now? How do ye see it now? To think the Lord is speaking to our hearts. You know, we've just gone through a problem with separation and scattering. Well, the question which you raise now is how do ye see it now? Why are you there? Why are you here? And who are you gathered to? How do you see it now?
The third question is, is it not in your eyes?
In comparison of it as nothing, three questions the Lord raised and I'll take the liberty to give something a three comforts we also give with them to encourage them as I believe it's the same thing that we can have today in verse 4 partway through that verse.
Says, saith the Lord, he says. For I am with you, for I am with you.
Verse five According to the word. According to the word a lot of part of verse 5 So my spirit remaineth among you. Fear not, 3 Comforts that the Lord lived with us. I am with you. His word is with us and spirit. And back to our chapter. There we are told to keep his word and not deny his name. We can't do anything. I enjoy our brother's comment early on Tuesday.
We can't keep it. It's not us. The Lord keep that testimony and we can see in haggy eyes day. It looked like there was nothing but the Lord. The Lord has to wait for His time. When it's the right time. Then that temple was raised. Four years later. Four years later, at about 516 BC, the temple was completed according to God's plan in God's time.
Thou hast not denied my name.
I'd like to hear some comments on that. I was kept my word. You were referring Brother David to Haggai and the Remnant that returned. And they went back to the Word, didn't they? And that's what they did over 100 years ago, went back to the Word. So much had entered into Christendom that was not according to the Word. It was introduced by men. The opinions of men, The order of man is he established it. We see it all around us.
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But they went back to the word it's not denied my name.
There are certainly some nice applications we can make of that we refuse. One of them would be we refuse to call ourselves by any other name than his name. We belong to him. We don't call ourselves Methodists or Baptists or Episcopalians or on and on and on, but we call ourselves Christians, those who are his. But there's more to it than not denying his name.
Rewards to the overcomer.
It seems to me is helpful in considering Philadelphia in general. In verse 12. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. My brother David spoke about the temple. He shall go no more out, and I will write 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, I will write upon him my new name. Well, that's the assembly and an administrative character, and I believe that's the assembly is found in Matthew 18. And for that assembly to exist, they had to be gathered together unto the name, unto the Lord's name. And I was thinking of those.
Who came back in Nehemiah's day, not so much in view of the house, but in view of establishing the walls that described what pertained to the city of God. And another question is asked then What do these feeble Jews It was his brother Chuck, brought out, marked by feebleness, and despised they were, they were held in disdain, but.
Those feeble Jews valued what pertained to the city of God, to Jerusalem, and said it had the exercise not to make new foundations, but that those foundations would be recovered in a wall built to identify this city. Well, that took place in the early 1800s. What pertained to the assembly had pretty much been lost, and God recovered it.
To them we might call it collective truth, as in.
Sardis, you have salvation in the name that thou liveth brought out it was more the individual thought of the individual salvation. But the work wasn't perfect. Well, here, beloved brethren, it's a very real thing. Do we value the truth relating to the assembly here on earth is gathered to the precious name of Christ?
Enough to suffer the reproach of being identified as feeble Jews, or having little strength and being held in disdain and contempt because of I don't even really know what the word means, but because of an ecclesiastical.
Association, that is, people looking at us collectively and just shaking their head. Why do you even go along this way?
Well, I trust we could respond in our hearts because we believe it's according to the word of God. And we believe that in truth we have been gathered to the precious name of our Lord Jesus. And whatever we are, whatever we are, does not take away from the preciousness of the word and the preciousness of that name. And sometimes we get ourselves confused with that preciousness and our feebleness, and it's a stumbling to us.
Oh, Brother Dog, our brother Chuck.
Something wonderful. Scratch your eye, pondered it, and I can't say that I've come up with too much other than the mere expression. The name contains great power right in the section in which we are if you go back to chapter 2 at the end of verse 17.
But this is in the message to Pergamos, but it says.
Him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna will give him a whitestone, and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it. Now that's not the name of the Lord, but that shows the power in the sight of God about a name. And we know that no one can take the name of the Lord idly without a record being made. We have that very plainly.
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Now in the portion of which we are right now, if we go ahead a few verses.
In verse 12 in the middle, speaking about the overcomer, I will make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is the new Jerusalem. So in the sight of God the name, there is none other name under heaven given amongst men, whereby we must be saved, no other name. It's not no other work, or no other person, but it's no other name.
So to God, who speaks truth, the expression of that name has tremendous power. I don't think I can articulate much more than that, except by the way it's used in Scripture that it's the name and it's all important to our God. And so when we have any references to that name, if there are references of slight or disparagement, oh, that must hurt our God.
I mean, that must be totally significant. Think about it when you hear the name of the Lord Jesus used idly.
In the workplace or in the neighborhood, people use that name. Why is that? It's because of Satan, that name. You don't hear people taking the name of Buddha or some of these other Pagan deities that we've heard about. Why is it Satan chooses that name to disparage? The only point I'd make, probably very weakly though, is the thought of the name is all important to God.
Finished that 16th verse, **** 12Th verse. I will write upon him my new name.
You can read that.
That's important and in the 22nd chapter of our book it says verse four. They shall see his face and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Hey, what?
Councillor which we take greatest delight in. But how can we express that this, this to me is deep water because it's the thoughts of God expressed here that it's hard for us to fully take in.
His name is the expression of all that He is, and I think we can deny His name not merely in words, brethren, but it's how we live and how we act. We can actually, if He is the holy, the true my walk down here, how does it correspond? Do I take his name? And everyone who has been baptized has his name in a public sense upon him? And how do you?
Where that name before the world? It's not merely what we say, it's our whole life that's involved here in denying his name, isn't it?
Chapter of numbers. I want to read it.
#622 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron, and unto his son, saying, On this wise he shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them well.
We're baptized through his name.
To his name, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost. And that's a tremendous privilege, The name people of the name.
We're going to uphold that name, aren't we? In everything?
Jesus, with regard to his people in these seven churches, I think more strongly than anywhere else in the whole of the Word, the Lord Jesus identifies himself personally with those to whom he speaks, and over and over again He says, I know and I will, And here he introduces a number of times those things which are His own, my word.
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My name.
And he gives emphasis to them. And I think it's well for us to recognize that when the Lord addresses us, it's not.
As it were a matter of doctrine. It's a matter of personal address. If the Lord Jesus were standing this afternoon at the podium addressing us with these words, would we take them more personally than sometimes we do? Because we read them, we listen to them, we examine them. But I think it's important for us to recognize that the Lord Jesus is speaking to us as he spoke to them, and he speaks to us with personal statements. I know.
And I will. And it's my word, and it's my name, and it ought to affect our hearts. I was rather struck. I'd never noticed it before today. But when in these addresses to the seven churches, he speaks a couple of times about their love. When he addresses the seven, but it's only in the last two that he mentions his own love.
Because he is speaking with a real girded loins, you might say, to say what he sees and what he knows. And it's a very solemn thing to have the Lord speak to us in that way. But to me it's also an encouraging and instructive thing to do that he says to those in Philadelphia. Those who have that character and that spirit, he says, I think to them.
You know I love you.
You know I love you, and the others are going to know. And it's sometime too. And that's a word of encouragement. If if others may look at your life, or may look at you collectively and have a certain feeling about you and not regard you as very much. Are you not encouraged if you can walk with the sense in your own heart? But the Lord loves me, and the Lord says I know you do, and the day's coming when I'm going to show it.
Right now, you may not be publicly acknowledged, but I see it. I know it. You ought to know it, and I'm going to tell you.
And when we get to Laodicea, which perhaps has more application to us in our present day than Philadelphia does.
How does the Lord show us when he says I love you?
He personally is the only one that he acts in love and says it in all the seven he says, Yes, I love you.
I'm going to rebuke you and I'm going to chasten you, and that's the evidence of my love. Do we feel that today? I think in some measure some of us do. And it's an evidence of the personal relationship we now have with the Lord Jesus, that when he, the only time his love is seen in action in all seven, it's in chastening and rebuking.
Name. My brother Bob mentioned that his name's characterized who he is and what he is, and I found a few verses in chapter 19 of Revelation which I think are interesting because it refers to name.
And verse 12 This is, of course Speaking of when the Lord returns in judgment to this earth, will start at verse 11 of chapter 19. And I saw heaven open, and behold, a White Horse. And he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he doth judge, and make war. And his eyes were as a flame of fire, And on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself.
But a name written.
And he was clothed with a fester dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God, which we take great delight in. And then going down, verse 15 out of his mouth go with the sharp sword, and that with it he should smite the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. And he credits the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written.
King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I just submit those as a few more examples of the importance of name in the eyes of our God. It really is one of these things that we read the words so frequently. I'll speak for myself and take these things without thinking much about it, but if you isolate the thought of name, it plays a tremendous role in this book.
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I think we ought to consider the fact.
That we are going to be kept out of the hour of temptation. We are not going to go through the tribulation, as many in Christendom attest to. But here is a promise from the Lord Jesus himself that he will keep us out of the hour of temptation. So in First Thessalonians 4, when that shout comes, we'll be taken to glory before that hour of tribulation.
Comes upon this earth.
It's about synagogue of Satan at the beginning of verse 9.
I don't know that we have that expression elsewhere, but the synagogue of Satan?
Of chapter 3.
All right, verse nine of chapter 2.
I know thy works, and tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich, and I know the blasphemy of them, which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
In both of those epistles, yes.
That gets reversed the orders reversed. It's smearing and and Philadelphia.
Well, to me what I'd like to hear about is why is it the synagogue of Satan? Which of those that say they are Jews? Does that speak to the present day in which we are?
I think this refers to legalists.
Doesn't necessarily mean they are Jews. They say they're Jews by the way they're acting, and what they're connected with is really a synagogue of Satan, not the Church of God. They're promoting what is of the enemy. They're promoting the very antithesis, the very opposite of Christianity.
Salvation by Works.
All versus Grace.
There's a natural tendency to go back to that always has been in the history of the Church.
The idea of having a clergy, where does that come from? Comes from the Old Testament, where one tribe of Israel was chosen to do the service of God. And of that one tribe, only one family could go into the presence of God. The idea of having music in Christian worship is another Judaizing principle. It's it's a tendency where does the idea of having a large.
Fancy building come into Christianity. We are the building now, it's not an exterior building, but in so many ways it's gone back to that. And although those that sometimes go in that direction and I think we need to recognize that, that we need to be exercised to walk in the truth of God because we have tendencies naturally to go in that direction too if we're not exercise brethren and we're stocking some time ago to some young people and asking.
They understood why we don't use music in our public meetings in one very frankly said whoa, I don't know. I've always thought might be nice if we did.
He didn't realize. We need to realize why. Is it because the New Testament prohibits that. I don't think you see that it prohibits it, but it's not the character of Christian worship. And to bring that in is going back to a system of religion.
That God ordained in the Old Testament, that was of God at that time for man in the flesh, that that test that God gave to man in the flesh at that time ended with Christ on the cross. They refused the Christ of God. And now that system is no longer what is characteristic of God's people today. It's completely the opposite, like it's been said. And there's a tendency toward that always.
Has been and will, and it's a very subtle thing that we need to walk in the enjoyment of the truth of God, that we won't go in that direction.
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As a man on earth, he frequented it, these synagogues and even.
James he speaks about one come into your assembly or your synagogue, that there was a period of time and occupying the beginning of the Acts where Christians intermingled with the Jewish Christians. I'll identify them that way intermingled with their Jewish brethren and.
Identified some major with them in the synagogue, but God has.
Dealt with that, has dealt with it, and now in those days they were called your synagogues or synagogue of the Jews.
But now it has been completely judged by God and that system that those synagogues, I don't really know where they originated at, or the purpose of them, but the Lord owned them anyway. But they were synagogues of Jews. But now they would represent the work of Satan to stifle that which is of the spirit of God and a new dispensation completely, and to identify that synagogue. Now it couldn't be called a synagogue of the Jews.
Those who were who said they were Jews were going there, but the true character now before God is that they are synagogues of Satan.
Opposite, opposing the precious truth that belonged to the assembly and it is an advancement, I think an expression that denotes an advancement. It's no longer simply a synagogue of the Jews, it's a synagogue of Satan because it's an attack on the liberty that.
Christians should enjoy.
Just similar to what you just said, I'll add that the false church is no longer the Bride of Christ, but she's a harlot.
Revelation 17. I want to read a verse in Acts 4 connection with this and it's very helpful. And verse 27 for of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed. Now notice both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together. Now there's a gathering together. There is a synagogue. That's what the word synagogue means, a gathering together.
So you could translate that if you basically transliterated it when they translate synagogue of Satan, you could translate it a gathering together of Satan. That is, it's not always good to be gathered together. It depends on who your fellows are. And that that's mentioned there. In Acts four, it was a gathering together against the Lord Jesus. So our privilege is as gathered together to his name to be on his side. And that's a tremendous and immense privilege, is it not? We were once on the other side.
The historic account of what our brothers have been saying about the Synagogue of Satan.
We could look in Acts chapter 18. It's really quite solemn in view of what's been said because Paul, as we read through Acts often as the blessed Lord Jesus himself did, we can read where he went into a synagogue, as his manner was, and he took the scriptures and read. And then in Acts chapter 18, while Paul does this as he goes on his missionary journeys, we see in verse four and he the Apostle Paul, he reasoned in the synagogue.
Every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. So at that point there was, as you say, Brother Chuck, a gathering together there, because at that point before Paul came with the gospel, that was the only place known where the truth of God, such as it could be known, was, was read, and was taught. So here you have both the Jews and the Greeks gathering. But then it goes on. And when they oppose themselves in blasphemy, he shook his raiment, and said, Your blood be upon your own heads, I am clean.
From henceforth I will go on to the Gentiles and he departed thence and entered into a man's house which was next to her hard by the synagogue. I just say historically that's really what happened as we've been talking about that that here it's rejected. They they hear the truth in the place where the truth of God had at one point been known. And Paul comes there with the truth and they blasphemy it. And he leaves and he shakes his reign at a sign of a very solemn sign, it seems to me and it's Jewish character of.
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Of a judgment that's enacted, and he leaves that and leaves that whole thing, and he goes to the Gentiles. Now he enters into a house, and there the truth of God is known. I don't. I wouldn't go so far as to say it, but perhaps that's historically a little bit of a picture of how we get to this in our passage before us, where it's now referred to as the synagogue of his work, instead of the truth being brought and embraced and appreciated and loved and learned.
They blasphemy the truth.
We say that today, some 2000 years, roughly since the Lord was here and the truth of Christianity became known in this world, that those that go on today with so-called synagogues are really the synagogue of Satan because they've rejected the word all these years.
And the fact that they go on in the face sometimes of what is so amazingly clear, for example.
We're probably all quite familiar with that little cracked Hebrew search for the blood of atonement, but the very fact of that little tract is where is the blood? Without the shedding of blood, there's no remission. This is in the Old Testament, and yet they've gone on for 2000 years. What is the power that keeps them going?
Must be the power of Satan.
Choose to that synagogue of Satan in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and in the last chapter where it says, Let us go forth therefore unto him outside the camp during his reproach. That's really what answers to the synagogue of Satan, isn't it? It's a camp. It's and there's so much Judaizing in the camp. There's such a mixture of things. It's a Babble of confusion. This whole principle, I think you mentioned it, Henry, the principal go to the Church of your choice is a profoundly wicked.
Principle.
I was reflecting once on my bed at night. I couldn't sleep, so I was meditating and meditating upon the the principle that the American democracy that we live in boasts of so much that everyone has a right to his own religion.
You worship God according to your own conscience. That is a profoundly wicked principle.
I don't have the right to choose whether I'm going to worship the true God or Baal.
Or other gods, false gods, or many gods. I don't have that right. I have to worship God according to the revelation that he has given us. He has told us how to approach him.
We dare not approach him or any other way that is self destruction. Isn't it So the principle and I know that the founding Fathers never dreamed that the interpretations that are being placed today upon religious liberty would be diverted by Satan into such a wicked way they were promoting freedom of.
Conscience to worship God according to the word of God. That's really what they meant. But.
That's been twisted. Everything that man gets a hold of, he twists and turns and and turns it into evil. But if you were a Jew in the Old Testament, like it says in Deuteronomy 12, is it or 13? If you hear say that one has gone, there's a city that's gone and worshipped other gods. What were they to do? They were to check it out. If the thing we're sure and certain they were to they were to level that city, destroy them all. They were not to tolerate the worship of another God.
And what are we tolerating in Christendom? All kinds of things.
Go to the Church of your choice.
That's a wicked principle we are to meet according to this book and nothing else.
We have no choice in it. We are to obey God.
That's what a Philadelphian does, isn't it?
We had a special character to it too, in verse 10, because thou hast kept the word of my patience or endurance. And I remember years ago, as a young man heard of Paul Wilson, had an address at this conference and.
I spoke about the end times being when the Saints are the most high, spoke on Daniel wearing out the Saints of the most high. I think the thought could be the most High place as well.
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In our profession of being heavenly citizens down here on earth.
Everything is wearing us down, and we need the word of his patience. We need this endurance not to give up and succumb to all of the influences that we would read about in the next assembly. And I I did want to comment that we've heard that there was nothing.
Negative said about the Assembly in Philadelphia. Yet there was an overcomer.
And notice where he is brought in in verse 11. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh, I think perhaps the main feature of our overcoming, besides those of the synagogue of Satan, is simply holding fast what has been given to us. Oh, it hurts. And you know, I I feel it in my own soul.
Sometimes weeping. And you read some of our older brethren writings, and I've read some of those early readings. They weren't of this character, but we aren't even intelligent enough. We're acquainted enough with the word of God to ask some of the questions that were asked in those readings, and I think for my own heart, it's an indication that I haven't held fast what was recovered.
And what has been made available to us, so we do want to overcome and hold back that which thou hast.
It isn't adding to it, just holding it fast.
Just one of the many. Oh you may say, you really affirmations we find in scripture supporting other truths that we treasure so much.
In verse, let's see.
You know verse 10.
Just a few lines down, I also will keep the from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. But that's telling us clearly in another way of the coming of the Savior to call us out of this scene will not be here for that time of trial which is has all the different names. But here it is, is one of the reaffirmed promises, if you will.
To those that are Philadelphia. But isn't it nice to have that constant reassurance and see the harmony of the word of keeping these things?
It's going to come upon all the world, it says.
But it says to try them that dwell upon the earth, that expression.
Then that dwell upon the earth is occurs very many times in the Book of Revelation. It's a moral class. It's that class that has been offered heaven during this day of grace and says no, I don't want it, I want earth and there are earth dwellers. There are more there. They're Christian apostates, that's who. That's who's meant by that expression. Then they dwell upon the earth and the tribulation is to upon all the world.
But it's to try them to dwell upon the earth. You read of them numbers of times. One of the times is a horrible time. In Revelation 13 it says those that receive the mark of the beast are those that dwell on the earth.
That's what's going to happen to apostate Christians.
Like to connect the word of my patience. So it's what we get in Second Thessalonians chapter 3, where Paul says the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God. That's verse 5 and into the.
Patient waiting for Christ. The marginal reading is the patience of Christ.
Why is he waiting, brethren? He's waiting. And he has a purpose and is waiting and to have our hearts to keep the patience, the word of his patience, and to be alert at any moment for that coming again. Because he says right in the next verse. Behold, I come quickly, you know, I've thought about it, Paul told the Thessalonians.
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To wait for the sun from heaven. Was he mistaken in teaching them that?
When Jesus didn't come back during their lifetime, nor in Paul's lifetime and for many centuries since.
Has he come quickly? I really believe brethren, when we get home to glory, we're going to understand, as we don't now, that he really did come quickly. One day is with the Lord is 1000 years and 1000 years is 1 day and His coming is quickly. But why is he waiting? One of the reasons is that there's more to be saved out of this poor world and we need to keep the word of His patience. If that's so, the Lord stir us to go out with the gospel to the lost brethren.
Oh, this is certainly part of his, the word of his patience. And we need to keep the word of his patience.
It surely will be quickly wounded.
I mean, you mentioned 1000 years as a day, but when we think of eternity, if we can really time will be nothing.
Patience, isn't it? He's the one that's waiting and he's waiting more for us to have us with him and we are longing for to be with him.
I just want to read you a few verses in the 13th of Revelation connection with this expression them that dwell upon the earth.
The beast is in view here, they say in verse 4 The end of the verse who is like unto the beast, who is able to make war with him? This is the Roman Empire revived and the head of it And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue 42 months. And he opened his mouth, and blasphemy against God to blasphemy his name and his Tabernacle, and then the dwell in heaven that will be us.
The heavenly Saints.
And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints, and to overcome them.
Power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations, and notice in all that dwell upon the earth, shall worship him whose names were not, are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. So everyone that does not receive the light, the truth, the way, the person of Christ today, in this day will in the in the Roman world, in the Christian world I'm talking about.
3rd The 3rd is the third expression. The third refer to the Roman earth. They will worship the beast.
In contrast with setting our minds on things about and being heavenly minded in all of these the proper calling of the assembly as a heavenly body, all of these things have been recovered to us, but we see in the next church that it was given up and it is a very epitome of first dwelling.
To call and it's what we.
Really have to overcome to especially in our land where everything is so attractive to the flesh and there's everything here to take our minds away from heavenly things, that it it really does require endurance and patience to to overcome all of these niceties. You know, if we were persecuted, Earth wouldn't be such a nice place.
But we have another obstacle to overcome now. It's it's bidding our hearts presenting itself as something attractive to be desired. And it's been far more effective in turning us aside. And persecution ever would have been or could have been even.
We might suggest along with that.
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Just this thought. It's a very simple thought but.
While Earth dwellers in Spirit to enter into that, we make these things in this present time the object of our heart, and we we can do that as believers. Morally we can, though we never would be what you brought out, Brother Chuck, in terms of the actual thing, because the Church will be gone. But morally now that spirit can overtake us and we can get our objects and our affections all caught up with this present time.
But on the other hand, that doesn't mean that we are not to walk in this life.
As providing for things honest I might say I was thinking as we were talking, Abraham was called out of the Ur of the Chaldees, and he walked through a land that he never.
Had that he never possessed, he walked by faith, but he also, in the large majority of his life, walked as one that was pleased.
God in faith, so he dwell in his hand. He had flocks, He had herds. He did what was necessary to walk through that world without, you might say, belonging to it and becoming part of it in spirit. And so for those that are here that are perhaps younger. And you if the Lord leaves us here, we would hope He would come today, and we expect that, and we ought to expect that. But there is that aspect of.
Living and walking through this world in a way that's pleasing to God.
Morally, not having our affection set here, but still we have to.
Work. We have to earn a living. We have to provide for our families. We have all of those things. And I just say that it's very simple, but I just say that we don't want to think that that kind of thing is becoming an earth dweller. An earth dweller is one in spirit who looks at this world. And that's the limit of their horizon. That's all they have for their heart's affection. But a believer's heart's affection is set on Christ, set on the things in glory. And yet we're responsible to walk through this world in a way that's pleasing to the Lord. And so we provide.
For our own and all of those things, I won't go into it, but I just say that that we not lose that thought that we can walk as heavenly citizens and still walk responsibly through this world, providing and doing what we ought and bringing glory to God, glory to the name of Christ, while we walk through this world as heavenly citizens.
Minding earthly things. And that is really important, Doug, to have our sights set above. If we could only catch a glimpse of heavenly glory, it would free us from the attractions of things here. You're young people. If you see me running after things down here, you say, well, there's one person that hasn't seen heavenly glory.
Once you catch a glimpse of it, and Paul was raptured into the 3rd heaven, he caught a glimpse of it. He saw that glory and he came back. He wasn't fit for life down here, and I'm sure it would be the same thing. Now we have that same vision of things, but it's set before us to lay hold up by faith, and I think we need to get the sense in our souls that it's so far supreme, so far beyond anything of earthly glory.
Good till Hebrews 11 That will set us free from being earth dwellers.
Speaking about Abraham we've been talking about.
Verse 13 just to read a few verses. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. Truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
But now they desire a better country, that is, and heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed.
To be called their God, for he is prepared for them a city. Think of it. Abraham back there, the God of Glory appeared to him, and he must have caught a vision of that city.
And he never forgot it. And even though, like you said, Dougie was a wealthy man down here, he never lived anything that we know of but attend.
He was a Pilgrim and a stranger, he says. My home is beyond. I'm looking for a city that I haven't found yet.
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And the revelation he got was pretty small in comparison to what we have been given, brethren. We have the full revelation of all that God is in Christ now, the tremendous display of heavenly glory that is open to our souls and the epistles.
Of the New Testament, our hearts drawn after that. Or is there something down here that compares with it? Abraham said. No, there's something better than anything I've seen down here.
And if we can catch a glimpse of it, that will set us free. It's not something that's forced on you. It's something that you go after because your heart has been drawn after it. I think that's so important. It's not a horse thing. If you get the idea that you've got to go the pathway you're walking in simply because your dad or your mom or somebody else, some brothers are standing over you watching. You don't get out of line. You haven't caught what the spirit of Christianity is.
It's an object that draws us, and draws us powerfully from Earth's puny glory for the glory of that eternal day.
Brother Bob and he was speaking. We remember we won't turn to it forsake of time, but I was. We remember when God called Abraham and he said lift up thine eyes and and look. And he wanted him to look at the heavens, the stars. Well, Abrahams shows where his heart was. He didn't lift his eyes up as far as his flocks and his herds were. The God gave him those things. He was a faithful man and he used those things. But what was that in comparison with lifting up his eyes and looking what God wanted him to look at? That's what the Lord wants us to do today, beloved young people, all of us. He wants us to lift our eyes up and see what He has for us.
What we have here we want to use for his glory, but he's saying to us just like he did to Abraham. Lift your eyes up. You've got a better object than what this world is setting their hearts on.
Very, very young ones here. If someone asks you why do you come, it's perfectly good. If you say because mommy and daddy brought me, that's fine.
He'll grow.
212 Fall from above and heavily men by verse, who once were the citizens of earth. As pilgrims here we seek a heavenly home, our portion in the ages yet to come 212.
Open my heart out, baby.
Come on later, she is here.
No.
Glory.
And thy life.