Revelations - Seven Churches

When we get into the messages to these Churches, understand that they are actual congregations. These aren’t symbols of periods of time. There are a lot of things spoken to these specific congregations that apply to those specific congregations. It is like when Paul writes to Ephesus. What he wrote was specifically for Ephesus. When we read of the advice that Paul gives the Corinthians, we can’t assume he is talking to us personally. Though there is advise and good teaching that we can glean from these letters, we can’t just claim that it was for the whole Body worldwide.

One of the things that I disagree with and oppose is the idea that these seven churches represent seven periods of time before the Messiah comes. In claiming this, we are able to disregard what is said. We are able to dismiss what Jesus speaks and claim that it has no meaning for us who are in the Laodecian age. I believe that these are very much like reading the book of 1 John or 1 Timothy or Jude or James. These messages are for very specific congregations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t read it and be taught.

¹Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

² I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

³ And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

⁴ Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

⁵ Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

⁶ But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

⁷ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Right away we find a passage that should be familiar to all of us. These in Ephesus were hard pressed to ensure that no false apostles could rise up. We seem to have quite the opposite in our world today. I’m sure that there are places where if you call yourself an apostle or prophet that you’d better be true. However, in the Western World, we have only applauded and promoted those that have the gift of gab.

Ephesus also endured persecution. In fact, we read from the text that they seem to rejoice in being counted worthy to bear reproach for the name of their Savior. We know this from that they don’t grow weary. It takes a certain kind of empowering of the Spirit to be able to endure suffering and not grow weary.

With this being said, Jesus is acknowledging that the Church at Ephesus is not wicked. The problem He brings against them is not being backslidden. They haven’t grown comfortable. Persecution doesn’t allow for comfort.

When Jesus says that they have left their first love, He is implying something other than comfort. I imagine that what is being communicated is deeper than backsliding. We can easily write off backsliding as something that they do, but we’ve kept the faith and continued to persevere. After all, we’re being persecuted, right? The deception comes from thinking that we have obtained to something. When we are first saved, there is passion to conform every aspect of our lives to being Christ-like. Yet, I know people that have walked with God for decades and seen the power. Then after retiring they just sit behind the computer and stop pressing forward.

They haven’t backslidden, and they aren’t in sin. They have just stopped learning. They have stopped striving after deeper and deeper levels of holiness and understanding. Because they have come to a place where the books they read and the people they know are not saying anything beyond what they have already learned, they just sit back and allow others to strive.

In a sense, this is comfort and convenience. In another sense, they are still working and focusing upon Christ. They haven’t stopped testifying. They haven’t stopped discipling or leading. They haven’t stopped in their pursuit of the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in Heaven. The problem creeps in when we allow for self to stop growing. Our labor and our knowledge and our efforts to advance the Kingdom of God have replaced our love for Christ. This is what it means to leave our first love. The secondary loves of ministry, prayer, devotion, reading our Bible, witnessing, etc are to stem from our first love: Jesus.

We can help others to grow, we can testify and preach, we can continue to pray and wrestle for the souls of men, but if we have at some point reached a place in our lives where we think we know all that there is to know, or that we have obtained the deepest aspect of spirituality that we’re going to obtain, then we run the risk of leaving our first love. What is the first love?

The first love is that unadulterated desire and passion to obtain Christ-likeness in all aspects of life. If the Bible says it, we want to know it. If God can teach us about this or that doctrine and reveal to us deep symbolism and understanding of the faith, then we want God to reveal it. If there is still something that we can memorize or understand, then we desire to memorize and understand. If there is some aspect of our life that does not look like Christ’s life, then we desperately pursue to conform and change our mindsets. If God perceives a specific view as heresy, then I want to have that same view.

The first love is that in all things, whether our lives, conduct, mindsets, habits, and everything we give ourselves to is nothing less than the glory of God.

Can we obtain this? I would say yes. It takes a lifetime of God revealing deeper and deeper insight and us conforming to that revelation over and over again. If there comes a time in our lives that we decide that we’ve heard the same teaching for the last 30 years, and there is nothing new under the sun, then we are dangerously close to leaving our first love (if we haven’t already). I think this is the rebuke of Jesus to the Ephesians.

Maybe this is why the reward of overcoming this mindset and rut is to eat of the tree of life in paradise. The tree of life is a representation of the resurrection. The tree itself is a cross to bear, the fruit bringing forth death. But the seeds of that fruit – if we’re willing to take of the whole thing – is resurrection life. Jesus tells them that if they will repent and turn back to their first love, then He will bring them forth further than they had ever imagined possible. There is no more reason for a rut – resurrection is obtainable.

⁸ And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

¹¹ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

I must admit that upon reading this passage, I can only seem to ask questions. It is a strange wording to talk about “Jews” that are “of the synagogue of Satan.” Right away, I assume that what is being spoken of is not some illuminati mystic religions of Free Masonry and witchcraft, but of a religious system filled with Pharisees and Sadducees that is deceptive, murderous to the Way, liars, oppressive, and in all ways anti-God.

Now, I’ve let the cat out of the bag that I have heard the people who want to take this verse to mean some sort of secret society. Whether they exist or not isn’t the question and avoids the point. The whole point that is being made here is that there are religious systems that God is not a part of. I see interfaith relations as being from the pit of Hell.

If Christianity is true, then why would we not do everything in our power to dispute the Jews and Moslems? Why would we not do everything in our power to reveal to the world the truth? Do we believe it is the truth? Or does this find us out that we really don’t believe it, and we really don’t believe that those of other faiths will spend eternity in Hell? If I am convinced of anything, it is the certainty that Islam is Satanic. Those who are Jews might be God’s people by Law, but they are not God’s people in heart. Unless they repent, they will not find paradise after death.

The idea of accepting other people’s religious beliefs and faith as their own prerogative and coexisting in peace is a lie. There will never be peace and harmony between religions until Jesus returns. Anyone who wants to think there can be peace has a false motive and misunderstands what word peace really entails. You can have a group of people that get along together without there being any peace in their midst. Turmoil and despair can be raging all around and within them, but they still get along. Does that mean there is peace?

I tell you the truth that there is a peace and a unity that goes beyond words. There is peace that passes understanding. There is unity where we don’t just get along, but we are one as God is one. The lack of jealousy over these things results in the negotiations of “coexistence” and interfaith relations between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

Jesus says they are of the synagogue of Satan. Do you believe that? Is that just Jesus being harsh because He doesn’t understand? Does Jesus need to lighten up because they are people too, and we need to love them?

Notice the premise behind these questions. These questions denounce Jesus as being God. They claim that He doesn’t have understanding, which is to say He isn’t all knowing. They claim that He doesn’t love like we love, which is to measure Him by human standards instead of God’s standards. They rob Jesus of authority. They are the same question that Satan asked Eve in the Garden, “Yea, hast God said…”

Notice this. It is important. These are the kinds of questions that get asked when you say you are against interfaith relations. That isn’t to say that I am against a Catholic and Protestant being married – or a Moslem marrying a Jew, etc. I don’t speak of those relations. I speak of the deception that we are all worshiping god anyway, so why does it matter whether they are Christian, or Jew, or Moslem? We ought to get along with one another and show them respect for their beliefs and they will show me respect for my beliefs.

The problem is that my Jesus told me that if I follow Him, the world would hate me. If they respect me and tell me I’m doing a good job, chances are that I’m not truly following Jesus. I have made up a god in my own image and named it Jesus, but it certainly isn’t the one spoken of in the New Testament.

What is my point that I’m trying to make?

I’m trying to establish the point that in the end times, there will be one world government (or at least a push toward it that will come very close to succeeding). Under this one world government, there will also be one religion. The world will worship the beast. The beast is the antichrist. If the world worships the antichrist, then that kind of puts a stop on interfaith relations. There will be Jews, Moslems, and Christians that will worship the beast. They will have no problem doing so. Their worship isn’t going to be direct. It will be indirect. They will be allowed their meetings and their “religion,” but if that altar comes by, they pay tribute to it.

It was exactly the same way in the first century. If the altar came by to throw incense on the fire to Caesar, you had to do it. Religious Jews paid their alms to Caesar, who is not God, and claimed they were still right before God and worshiping Him. But it is okay because they don’t really believe that Augustus is the Son of God. Yet, they claimed they had no king but Caesar. Then they continue to go about their lives as though there is nothing wrong.

It will be the same way at the end. What will you do? Will you allow that Antichrist to call himself the messiah? Will you go with the flow so that you can continue to live healthy? Will you ignore it and have your Jesus on the side so that you can buy, sell, and trade? Or will you oppose the Antichrist because there is only one God and Him alone shall you serve? Will you continue to knock against the system because it is utterly demonic in nature and has its origin right out of the pits of Hell?

To those who are willing to endure until the end – even to the point of death – Jesus says, “I will give you a crown of life.” To those that face death on every side in this life: you will achieve the crown of life at the end if you are faithful until the end.

This is all saying something about the nature of rewards. Jesus is coming with His rewards in hand. We don’t get them in this life. We get them in the next life. We get them in the age to come. After we have gone through suffering, death, and hell, then we shall achieve our rewards of life eternal.

Remember that we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. God has left us with something. We are not alone in this. There is peace, joy, love, and hope. This is where the rubber meets the road. If what we experience in Christ now is only a foretaste and does not compare to the glory that we shall know later, then we have every reason to rejoice in our sufferings. We have every reason to wade through the hell of this present evil age.

Why should we be taken aback? What reason is there to lose hope? The suffering and the persecution that we face now is only another glory that we receive in Heaven. Take hope. Love much. Pour yourself out until there is nothing left. Why should we not rejoice when we’re fired for being a Christian? Why should we not rejoice when we are taken and imprisoned for our faith? Why would we get discouraged? It can only come from a mindset that is wrapped up in this age and has not focus upon eternity.

¹² And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;

¹³ I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

¹⁴ But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.

¹⁵ So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate.

¹⁶ Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

¹⁷ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Once again we have symbolism that isn’t clear. There are people who have written about this and what it might mean. I would say that if you want to hear some options as to what the throne of Satan was, and who the Nicolaitans were, and what it means to have a white stone with a new name written on it means, that you should do one of two things (or both): pray that God gives revelation on these matters and/or look up another source. I actually haven’t looked into this enough to have sufficient ideas of what these things are. To me, the clear point is about Balaam, not the Nicolaitans or the white stone.

What was the sin of Balaam? Jesus specifically says the teaching of Balaam here. Balaam is also mentioned in Jude and Peter. It is clear that the sin of Balaam is that he was the prophet for hire. He was more interested in making money than speaking the oracles of God. When we read the story of Balaam, we find that he might have actually been an honest prophet at first.

God tells Balaam not to go away with the king of Moab. Balaam listens the first time. But the king sends messengers multiple times. This is where the compromise came. I don’t know what happened between the first and second visit, but something changed in Balaam’s heart that he was considering going with the king of Moab. Whatever it was that shifted Balaam’s attention away from God, this is the very thing that Jesus is referencing. I think we have a couple hints.

Moab is a nation that appears in the Bible multiple times. It is actually found throughout the Old Testament writings. Where does Moab come from? It comes from Lot’s incest. Lot was made drunk by his own daughters, and then raped by his daughters. This shows you a little bit about the character of Lot. I believe that Lot was righteous. At least, that is what God has to say of Lot. However, his daughter’s actions would show that he wasn’t whole-heartedly given over to righteousness and holiness unto God.

The word Moab in Hebrew means “of his father,” or “seed of father.” The idea and context would be that the name was given because the girls wanted to continue their father’s name. So they continued their father’s legacy by raping him and naming one of the children “of his father.” Symbolically, the name alludes to one being like Lot. Now, Moab being “like” Lot is not to be interpreted as a righteous thing.

Moab throughout the Old Testament is continually against Israel. From the first time they show up as a people in Numbers with the story of Balaam to the prophets crying out against Moab, this kingdom seems to be a complete metaphor to the kingdom of darkness. Moab is Satan’s kingdom.

So, what would cause for Balaam to go with Balak, the king of Moab? The name Balak means spoiler. So we have the spoiler, king of darkness coming to a prophet of God and asking him to curse Israel. Does this sound strange to anyone (like the “destroyer” is referenced as the Antichrist in the Old Testament prophets)? Balaam has been translated to mean a couple things. One is destroyer of the people; another is lord of the people. Considering that bilam means devourer, I would assume that Balaam means devourer of the people or glutton or something to that degree.

To get to the point, I think that the problem that Jesus is pointing out to the Church in Pergamum is that they are a people with itching ears wanting to hear good things and not willing to hear the bad. This is also rampant in the United States. There are a lot of preachers that would loose their jobs if they were to start speaking the whole truth of Scripture. Their congregations don’t want to hear it.

And so the preacher starts to teach the people that the Bible is a good moral book, but he doesn’t deal with sin (doesn’t call anything sin) and doesn’t condemn anything. After a while, you have people that start to ask questions like, “Is homosexuality okay?” What are you going to say? You have already dug a pit by not confronting sin. Now sin has become increasingly sinful and the people are asking if it is okay to do abominable things. Thus, because we don’t teach the whole Gospel, we end up being a “destroyer.”

I assume that this is what Christ was getting at. The sin of Balaam is that he was a prophet for hire. He didn’t take it seriously that he was the mouthpiece of God. What he said reflects on God’s character and name. Yet he was just looking for a paycheck. And so it is with many ministers today that are looking for a paycheck and are unwilling to dig in to the roots and really strive that their congregation may be a beautiful and spotless Bride for Christ.

Ultimately, this meant that Balaam went with the spoiler, the king of darkness. When we are unwilling to preach life (whatever the cost) then we will preach death. If the message doesn’t come from the throne, then it comes from the pit. From where do you receive your message each week?

¹⁸ And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;

¹⁹ I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

²⁰ Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

²¹ And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.

²² Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.

²³ And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

²⁴ But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.

²⁵ But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.

²⁶ And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:

²⁷ And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

²⁸ And I will give him the morning star.

²⁹ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Who is Jezebel?

We know that Jezebel was King Ahab’s wife in 2 Kings. However, this isn’t 2 Kings and it isn’t northern kingdom Israel. Thyatira was in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). Jezebel was a Phoenician name. All the signs point that Jesus isn’t referencing a person named Jezebel. Most likely, there was a woman elder that was leading the people astray. Another option to consider is that Jezebel is a spirit that the people had given themselves over to. Either way, we will never in this age truly know what precisely is being spoken of here.

There are some very basic things we can take away from this.

The first thing that is obvious is that whomever Jesus is referring to, she called herself a prophetess. This is something that should register within every true believer. If there is someone who is being applauded as a prophet and yet is not, it can only bring death and deception to the Church. The Church is founded upon the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). If we are going to base our foundation off of something that is false, then we can only find deception and destruction of an ultimate kind.

This so-called prophetess misled the people to practicing sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols. This is precisely the kind of person that Paul warned every single Church to watch out for. He said multiple times not to accept anyone who teaches these things. In Galatians, he even curses anyone who would preach another Gospel.

As far as the name Jezebel goes, if you reference back to 2 Kings, you’ll find that Jezebel was more known for promoting idolatry and slaying the prophets. She wasn’t known for sexual immorality. So I wonder if there is something going on here beyond the words. To reference Jezebel tells me that Jesus isn’t simply speaking of sexual immorality. He is probably referencing the idols that Jezebel set up: Ba’al and Asherah.

Asherah was Ba’al’s mistress. She was a long pole in the shape of an erect penis. The way you worship Asherah is by grabbing the closest person you can find (whether male or female) and you perform sexual orgies with them. This is where we get modern day stripper poles. This is where we get modern day sex parties and orgies. This is where homosexuality comes from.

The problem with this kind of sexual impurity is that it isn’t merely physical. You give yourself to a spirit. When we are addicted to sex or pornography, or we spend time at a strip club, or we practice homosexuality, we are attaching our spirits to a demonic spirit. This is dangerous.

One of the reasons why many addictions are so difficult to overcome is because of the spiritual aspect that is not dealt with. God proclaimed judgment upon this Jezebel for bringing such perverseness to His Church. I don’t think that this is a symbolic death that Jesus is speaking of in verse 22. I think that God was literally going to kill her, her children, and anyone who commits adultery with her. This was to be a sign that what she does and what she teaches is not of God. It is the opposite of God ordained.

In verse 24, we have an interesting mention of Satan’s “so-called deep secrets.” Jesus’ response is that He would not impose any other burden upon them. I think that this and what was spoken of above with Jezebel would be why the passage ends with those who overcome receive authority from the Father and Jesus will give us the morning star.

Who is the morning star?

We see in Isaiah 14 that Satan is called the bright and morning star. Jesus says that the reward of abandoning such wicked practices is authority over Satan. The question of whether this happens now or in eternity would be the next thing to examine. All I will say is that it doesn’t make sense that this will be in eternity if Satan is cast into the lake of fire before we enter heaven. It has to be at a time where Satan still exists.

¹And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

² Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

³ 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, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.

⁴ Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

⁵ He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and 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.

⁶ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

I would like to start this by pointing out that if these different churches are different church ages, there is absolutely nothing that fits the entire world at any one given point in time. God is talking to individual churches. He isn’t talking about church ages. We can take the Church of Laodecia as an example. If this is the Laodecian age, then what is Africa’s Church that is suffering persecution and is immensely poor? It just doesn’t fit.

We have something here that simply doesn’t fit anywhere in history. There has never been a time in history where the majority of Christendom was claimed to be alive and yet was dead. If you want to claim it was the time of the reformation, then you have a lot of explaining to do. That is called condemnation. Why is it that the Catholic Church was okay for centuries, but then there is suddenly a time where they are no longer godly?

It doesn’t fit.

We’re talking about a literal place with literal people.

Another problem that I find with claiming that these are church ages is that I can find many congregations that are exactly this that is being described. They claim they are alive, but they are dead. There is nothing of life in them. As soon as life comes in, it is rejected and persecuted. I’ve been in the midst of the church congregations that would do such a thing.

However, what strikes me about reading this passage is that Jesus still calls them the Church. He doesn’t say that they are a false church. Nor does Jesus say that they are already exempt. Jesus calls these people saints. That is what the definition of a saint is – a person that is within the universal Body of Christ. This only seems to display the mercy of God. How can it be that the testimony of this Church is actually that they are dead, and yet Jesus isn’t telling them they are not the Church? It would seem that most of us would call them out and claim they are not Christians. Jesus does no such thing, but only gives the harsh rebuke and says that if they do not repent, then they will in the future be found in their sins.

Why is it that the rebuke of Jesus is actually to remain in their sin? This is actually condemnation itself. Jesus has said in John 3 that our condemnation is that we love the darkness and reject the light. If we are unwilling to come to the light and allow for our evil deeds to be exposed, then we are already condemned. So Jesus is actually proclaiming that if these people will not come to the light, then they shall dwell in darkness. If they continue to dwell in darkness, then how are they to be a part of the City of God that radiates light for all to see?

⁷ And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

⁸ 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 hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

⁹ Behold, I will make them of 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.

¹⁰ 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 world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

¹¹ Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

¹² Him that overcometh will I 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 new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

¹³ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

This is the only Church out of the 7 that has nothing against them. Now, one of the things that need to be mentioned is from verse 10. Jesus promises that He will keep the Church in Philadelphia from the trial that is soon to come upon the whole world. Is Jesus talking about the Tribulation or some other trial? I think He is talking about the Tribulation.

Now, we’ve spent some time discussing the rapture. It does not seem like God indicates anywhere else in Scripture a plain presentation of rapture. In all other places, the idea of the rapture has to be read into the text instead of being read out of the text. This is the only place where it is questionable. So what are some possibilities that God is communicating here?

We know that the time of the antichrist will be a time of persecution on the Church. In Daniel it mentions over and over again that the saints are slain. This is also mentioned later in Revelation 13. I think it is possible that Jesus is telling His Church in Philadelphia that He will keep them from suffering the persecution. This one is one for dispute. Some might desire to part with me and say that it does mean rapture. Others might agree that the rapture doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in the context of the plans and purposes of God – let alone the character of God.

I personally take this to mean that this small remnant – a Philadelphia people – will be allowed by God to remain on the earth without receiving the suffering that the rest of the Church receives. That is not to say that they will not suffer, nor does it mean that they will be taken out of the world. Elijah did not leave Israel to find water during the drought (1 Kings 17). Israel was in the land of Goshen while Egypt was being plagued. The Philadelphia remnant in the last days will also be able to endure in the same way.

¹⁴ And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

¹⁵ I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

¹⁶ So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

¹⁷ Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

¹⁸ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that 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 eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

²⁰ 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.

²¹ To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

²² He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

What do we say about the Church in Laodicea? I can’t help but be absolutely horrified at the stupor that this Church is in. They claim they are rich. They claim they can see. They claim to be followers and disciples of Christ. Jesus doesn’t rebuke them because they are false believers. He rebukes them because they are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Why is this important to note?

If you read carefully the blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28, then it becomes obvious. Either we are being blessed by God or we are being cursed. There cannot be a neutral stance. If we find that we are not able to overcome our enemies (like pride or lust), then we must be under the curse. If we are constantly battling as a people (like the nation Israel has been warring against the Islamic nations for decades), then we cannot be under the blessings of God.

Now understand that we can have varying degrees of curse or blessing. It is obvious from the text that if we are being cursed, God expects that we will recognize this and turn to Him in repentance. If we refuse to repent, then God hands us over to deeper realms of curse. Sometimes our struggles aren’t the enemy that needs to be cast off. Sometimes our struggles are oppressions from God to get us to repent. The reason we can’t find deliverance is because we have refused to acknowledge (or even consider) that God might be against us.

I think this might be the reason why Jesus is telling this people that they need to buy from Him. They have gone so far in their own strength that it actually takes Jesus to tell them they are in the wrong. If you read Isaiah 29, you come across a passage where God says that He is blinding His people so that the learned cannot read the scroll, and the unlearned cannot read the scroll. We’ll get to question of what the scroll is in a couple chapters. What is important to note is that this scroll is supposed to be opened and read by His people, but instead it is sealed and unable to be opened and/or read.

Sometimes it actually takes someone else to wrestle with you to overcome. Jesus does promise to the people that find themselves in this state that He will come in and be with us if we will open the door. The problem is that the door shouldn’t have ever been closed to Him. How is it that the glory of God has left, and no one even notices?

This is why it takes more than mere repentance. It takes someone who can recognize the situation, explain it in love, and wrestle with that person or congregation to bring deliverance and a spirit of repentance. It takes a jealousy for God’s glory. We need to be ruthless in our honesty and in our scrutiny. While looking upon self, we ought to be meticulous when it comes to conforming to the image of God. When it comes to others, we ought to be loving and desiring their higher good in judging.

It takes an immense character to attack our own self. It comes natural to protect self. When someone comes and tries to point out error, either in character or theology, the defensive is the most typical response. Some people get offended when challenged. This is pride. It is arrogance. It shows that an unclean spirit has blinded us and brought us into spiritual stupor. Can we truly be Christian and right with God if we don’t have humility to hear other’s critique?

I understand full well that some people are mean and judgmental. It takes the Spirit of God to reveal truth. That does not give credence to being defensive and prideful.

On the other hand, some people are all too ready to play the victim. It is still a self defense mechanism. They play the victim to try and gain favor and pity. In all circumstances, I’ve seen it be that whether the person refuses to acknowledge error, or the person only acknowledges error, it is for self. It has nothing to do with humility. It is bondage. The person that has either of these two mentalities needs freedom.

Revelations - Introduction

¹The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

² Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.

³ Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

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;

⁵ And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

⁶ And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

⁷ Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

⁸ I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

We see from the first verse that this is the revelation of Jesus Christ. Lets keep that in mind. This isn’t a book that John wrote because he had a vision. This is the very vision and word of Jesus Christ. It is to be taken all the more seriously.

We seem to have a difficult time in calling the Bible the word of God. We have an easier time with attributing Scriptures with the author who wrote it. We neglect all to easily that God wrote all the Scriptures. It has so happened with the book of Revelation that even though it says right from the get-go that this is Jesus’ revelation, we attribute it to John.

The next thing to note is some of the symbolism and descriptions of Jesus used in verse 4-7. Lets take a quick moment to break these down:

Who are these seven spirits before the throne? We find a reference to them in the book of Tobit (which is found in the Catholic Bible). These are also mentioned in the book of Enoch. Though neither of these books are Scripture, they do give us a little insight into some of the mindset 2000 years ago when Revelation was written. The seven spirits are the seven angels. Who are the seven angels? We know of two of them: Michael and Gabriel. The other 5 have been lost to us (either by apocrypha or otherwise). Tobit mentions an angel named Raphael. Beyond that, I’m not sure we can really know for sure the names of the other 4 angels who stand before the Lord’s throne.

In verse 7 we find the phrase “He is coming on the clouds.” A reference to look upon is Jesus’ own words in Matthew 24:29-31, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Now a quick note about clouds is that they are less about Jesus standing on them and riding them like a surfboard and more about Jesus cloaking Himself. Clouds are always in a description of when God makes Himself seen. Think about it. Ever since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden, anyone who seems to have seen or spoken with God face to face seems to describe that they did so with a cloud. We have Abraham who saw the smoking pot and the fire, Mount Sinai, the cloud that leads the people Israel through the wilderness, and God’s glory filling the Temple like a cloud. These are just a few obvious mentions. Every mention of speaking with God directly seems to also indicate a cloud – this does not include the many times that people spoke with the angel of the Lord.

The next thing mentioned in verse 7 that I want to bring up is the little bit about “even those who pierced him.” Now, this is an obvious reference to Zechariah 12:10, “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

The reason I want to note this is twofold: it is a prophecy of Israel’s redemption and it relates specifically to the words of Jesus from Matthew 24. We can be assured that this is indeed speaking of how Israel will come to know their God. They will behold Him whom they have pierced. But what always catches me is that it wasn’t Israel that pierced Him. According to 1 Corinthians 2:8, the powers of the air (demons) were the ones who killed Jesus. So this has everything to do with that same passage of Matthew that I quoted earlier.

In Matthew 24:30 we see that at the coming of Jesus all the “powers” of heaven will be shaken. Why? These powers (I must assume) are influenced by one power. That one power from which they derive their strength and wisdom and purpose is Satan. When the nations, or tribes, or powers weep at the return of Christ it is because their end has come. It is now time for their judgment. James even states that they tremble.

I believe that is why there is a repetition. It seems redundant when we first read it: “Every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.” We see the same kind of parallel in Psalm 2: “Why do the nations rage and the people conspire a vein thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord…” Why the redundancy of the nations and people - kings and rulers? Are we talking about the same thing or are we describing two different things? I believe that we are talking about principalities and powers and then humanity.

¹² And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;

¹³ And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

¹⁴ His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire;

¹⁵ And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

¹⁶ And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.

¹⁷ And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

¹⁸ I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

¹⁹ Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

²⁰ The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

In verses 12-15 we see a description of Jesus that sounds quite reminiscent of Daniel’s vision of the ancient of days seated on the throne in chapter 7 (verses 9 & 10). We see that these seven stars represent the seven angels and the seven lampstands represent the seven churches. It has been said, and I agree, that the word angel here can simply mean pastor (because angel means messenger). This is the leadership of the Church.

What is Divine Inspiration?

I've been challenged to provide a definition of inspiration. Words have meaning. Therefore, it behooves us to come to terms seeking to understand what that term means. To place upon a word our own interpretation of that word is both disservice and dangerous. The most extreme case to point to would be Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. Both Hitler and Stalin redefined what it meant to be a person. Because they redefined what it means to be a person anyone who does not add up to that definition is then less than human - subhuman. Subhumanity is dispensable, so can we truly say that the annihilation of 6,000,000 Jewish people is really that terrible? You get my point.

When we come to the idea of inspiration, we use phrases that are very fuzzy. I've heard that Divine inspiration means that the Bible says the words that God had intended the Bible to say. Well, who gets to determine what exactly that means? Or the classic example of what I've heard Divine inspiration would mean would be to say that the words are "God breathed." Yet, once again, we don't have a very specific idea as to what that means. These are general definitions, but I'm afraid that our definitions are intentionally fuzzy so that we are not required to take a stand.

Then there are the King James only-ers. These are people that aren't necessarily wrong in criticizing English translations of the Bible - many times quite accurately. Yet, the problem that I have is that they use unequal weights and measures. For example, the Hebrew is poetic. Words are not simply translated because "ruach" means spirit. Ruach has three "translations": spirit, breath, and wind. Which of those three translations do we choose? Oh, well you choose whichever fits the best. But the problem really lies in that Hebrew paints pictures with its words. Ruach is the Divine energy that stirs up the creation. So, if we're going to translate it as wind, we would be correct. In fact, it is equally as correct as breath and spirit. So how do we translate it? That's the difficulty.

I'm not going to say that any one translation is better than another. I think that all English translations have their shortcomings, and the different manuscripts that we have of both Hebrew and Greek show slight variations. They are very slight, but they exist. So, if we're going to say that Divine inspiration means that God had literally breathed this version of the Bible, and every other version must line up to this plumb line, we're left with a difficulty. Which one do we pick? If we say that the King James Version is the ultimate, then what about the later versions that had better technique and understanding in how to translate the biblical Greek?

But then this also goes with all the other versions. If we say that the New International Version of the Bible is the absolute authority, then we end up having to ask about those pesky verses that are omitted from the Bible. But what if we're actually going about this all wrong? I believe in the inspiration of Scripture, and therefore I believe in a literal creation of the world exactly as it is stated in Genesis 1-11 (or so). I believe that when the prophet spoke, they spoke the very words of God.

So how would I define inspiration if not by saying that these are the very words of God in textual form? In order to answer that, we only need to ask why it is important to have an inspired text? What is the point of Divine inspiration?

When I engage, or I hear of others engaging, in dialogue about the Bible, the most common criticism is that the manuscripts aren't exactly the same, and we really can't be sure that they were written when we say they were written, and how do we know that this wasn't added years later? The attack isn't so much about what is said, but instead on when it is said. The attack isn't so much on whether what was said is true or not, but instead on whether it was ever said, or if we just made the whole thing up. Why? It is easier to attack the manuscripts and say that we can't be certain of their validity than it is to disprove the statements. If the texts that make the statements can be proven fallacious, then the whole of the text is fallacious.

So Divine inspiration is really getting at the heart of, "Yea, hast God said?" This isn't an issue of whether the Bible is correct when it uses this word rather than that, but instead an issue of the revelation of God. So when we're trying to define what Divine inspiration is, we need to stand it up against the understanding that this reveals God as He is. Divine inspiration, then, is not found in the original texts, nor in the modern English versions. It is found solely in the person of Jesus Christ. From that revelation, we come to a further questioning of the texts. Does what is written here in my English version align with the person of Christ Jesus and who He has revealed God to be?

The debate is not over textual analysis and whether we translated the words correctly. The debate is over whether this reveals the heart of God, or whether it instead reveals something contrary to God. So debates on whether this or that passage/verse is supposed to be in here, should we go with the Texas Receptus, or the Latin Vulgate, or the Massoretic, or the Septuagint, etc are really only a little higher than nonissue. What is first and foremost to be presented is Christ and the character of God. Once we have that established, lets then go into the texts and decide as to which one seems to fit the best. Slight copyist errors and other minor variations in the original manuscripts can be trifled about later. First and foremost, we need to ask whether this is truly revealing God, or if it is a perversion.

Divine inspiration is the idea that God has breathed the whole of Scripture to reveal Himself. That is slightly different than saying that this or that version is the word of God. It is taking up the whole counsel and then wrestling from that revelation of Christ with the smaller details. Lets first and foremost get the foundation laid. When we're debating with atheists or Muslims or our Jewish brethren over whether the New Testament documents are valid, the best thing to do is not to quarrel over various texts and we believe the King James, but instead to display the glory of Christ and how the whole of the Bible displays the progressive revelation of God.

I don't believe the Bible is the word of God because I read "All Scripture is inspired..." I believe the Bible is the word of God because God has revealed Himself to me through the eternal Spirit giving illumination. God took out my heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh. Now when I read the Bible, whether I'm reading the NIV, NASB, NKJV, KJV, or the Message, I have something greater than the words on the page to line up to. Sometimes things just aren't worded correctly, and when we go back to original language we ask, "Why did they translate it like that?" Sometimes we need to read a cumulative and broad range of English versions to understand the point being made. But the reason I read the Bible the first place was because of the Spirit bearing witness in me. It was not until later, after I had learned a bit more about the whole of the Bible, that I started even asking such questions.

Ultimately, I think that when we simplify too much we lose a lot of doctrinal reality. God is Triune, therefore I believe that He has and does communicate with Himself. He has also communicated and revealed Himself to His creation through speaking. Because He has communicated Himself, I have every reason to believe that He has given us an inspired Word that reveals Him perfectly - not because such and such text is 100% accurately speaking the very inclinations and thoughts of God, but rather because God has given a revelation of Himself through those texts.

There are sometimes where I would say, yes, God is speaking directly through this text the very words out of His mouth. There are other times, like in the book of Job, where there is a revelation of God being expressed. God was upset with Job's friends because they did not accurately depict Him. That is the beauty of inspiration. It shows us God as He in fact is, so that when we read His word we can better understand His heart through the revelation that He continues to express through the Spirit. We don't read it as undiscerning nincompoops. We have been given every tool necessary to discern the text for what it is truly saying. That is the Divine inspiration: the Spirit bearing witness.

Is Current Israel Under Blessing or Curse?

I'm sure we've all heard various opinions on Israel. There are a lot of Christians who believe that the current state of Israel is the final return, and that we just need to await the day that Jesus will return and all Israel will be saved. On the opposite side of the spectrum are believers that say it doesn't matter what happens in the Middle East because we are the 'New Israel.' Where does the truth actually lie?

To truly dive into such a topic as this, we need to look at the Bible as a whole. We need to see the history of Israel, what their purpose is, and we need to let the Scripture speak for itself. Both they that say Israel is finally restored and they that say we are the New Israel have taken Scriptures out of context. For example, I would challenge you to look at any prophecy that speaks of Israel's final return. One of the most often quoted verses would be Amos 9, where it says, "They shall never again be uprooted." This is actually the very last verse of Amos. But lets just assume that Amos 9:15 has a context. What is that context that is being spoken of?

Well, contrary to the subdivider in my Bible, the context actually starts way back in verse 8 (if not sooner). We find that God declares to "the sinful kingdom," "I will destroy it from the face of the earth - yet I will not totally destroy the house of Jacob. For I will give the command, and I will sift the house of Israel among the nations as grain is sifted in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground. All the sinners among my people will die by the sword, all those who say, 'Disaster will not overtake or meet us.' In that day I will restore the tabernacle of David. I will repair its broken places, restore its ruins, and build it as it used to be, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, declares the Lord who will do these things."

Question: has that happened? Has the tabernacle of David been restored? Has Edom been given into the hand of Israel as a possession? The tabernacle of David is the throne of David. Is there a king upon the throne of David ruling over Israel? No. When we couple this with Isaiah 2:2, "The mountain of the Lord's Temple will be established above all other mountains... and all nations will stream unto it," we find that this part about Edom and the nations might actually have more to do with world peace and all peoples coming up to see the Lord. Has that happened? No. Why? Because the first thing that must happen before there is the "never again will you be uprooted" is the establishment of Messiah upon the throne of David. That hasn't happened, so the latter can't have happened either.

But this leaves an interesting question: if the final restoration is not what we're currently seeing, then how exactly do we understand from Amos 9:8-10? And another question: What exactly are we seeing when we look at the Middle East?

There are two things necessary for good hermeneutic of the prophetic Scriptures: an understanding of the general history of Israel (which is actually part of a larger history and context of Scripture) and the relentless pursuit of contextual analysis. Both of these are rooted in one essential ingredient: hearing the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that leads us into all truth. This is God’s eternal purpose. Such topics as Israel and the last days are not things to ‘meddle’ with. It says in Zechariah 2:8 that, “whoever touches you (Israel) touches the apple of my eye.” That Hebrew word used there is literally the pupil of God’s eye.

We need to have the utmost sobriety about this. Casual glimpses and meshing together of Scripture in a dubious sort of fashion is an abomination. You play games with the apple of God’s eye, and ultimately if Israel has not been restored to her Land that final time, you play games with the lives of countless Jews. The Messiah came before God’s final judgment upon Israel. We can say that Israel has been exiled for the past 2000 years, and in 1948 they were reestablished as a nation – born in a day. But there are a few things that must happen when God restores them the last time. We’ll look into each one of these subjects individually:

1)    Israel’s final redemption comes with world peace.

2)    Israel’s final redemption means they believe in the Lord their God.

3)    Israel’s final redemption happens at Christ’s return.

4)    There are prophecies about two returns at the end of the age.

What will become increasingly obvious is this: The current state of Israel is not the redeemed Israel spoken of in prophecy. Instead, it is an Israel that is out of sync with God’s covenant, and they will continue to be until that final restoration unto glory. All four of those things must take place before Israel is redeemed (or, more precisely, the first three at the time of their redemption). We actually mistake Bible prophecy when we say that Israel can be restored to the Land before they are redeemed. This cannot happen in a progression or spurts, as some suggest it is happening. It must all happen at once, or it won’t happen at all.

Israel’s final redemption comes with world peace

When we look through the Scriptures, we find that the covenant made to Israel was that they would be at peace in the Land. They won’t have any wars. If a nation decided to come up against Israel, they will flee in seven directions. Five will chase 100, and 100 will chase 10,000. The sword will never pass through Israel. This is found in Leviticus 26:6-8. If Israel will obey the commandments of the Lord, then they shall dwell in peace. But if she disobeys, then her enemies shall pursue her to the exact same degree. Actually, it even says that they will flee when no one chases (Leviticus 26:17).

The exile is a judgment. What is also a judgment is when there is no peace. This is a covenant that God has made with Israel. If God has established this covenant with them, and has brought them back according to that covenant, then don’t you think that they should have peace in the Land? Why are Israel’s enemies sending rockets day and night into the Land of Israel? Why is Israel a stench and burden to those surrounding her? This is a judgment from God. The redemption of that nation, and the restoration of her brings peace to the whole world.

Isaiah 35:10 specifically promises that when Israel returns, she will return with everlasting joy upon her head. Mourning and sighing will flee away. Why does it say this? It says this because everything that Israel has experienced up to this point would be persecution and tribulation (of which the Nazi Holocaust was only a foretaste). Israel will go through a time that is unparalleled. She will endure great suffering and trial. It is called by the prophet Jeremiah, “The Time of Jacob’s Trouble.” That time was mentioned by Jesus as being unequaled: “If that time were not cut short, no flesh would survive” (Matthew 24:22). The people will go through such anguish before their restoration that when they are delivered from it, they will enter Zion with singing.

But wait, wasn’t the Nazi Holocaust a time of unequaled tribulation? Indeed it was. So maybe Israel endured that, and then God delivered her. But we can’t reject the verse in Isaiah. She shall enter Zion with everlasting joy upon her head. Why is it everlasting? It is everlasting because there will never be another time like this. Sorrow and sighing will flee away. Why? God will make sure that they are never oppressed again. They will have peace on every side, and the Lord their God will rule over them to protect them. Does this fit the description of modern day Israel?

Though their oppressors do not overtake them, she still has oppressors. It is said in Joel 2:19, “Never again will I make you an object of scorn among the nations.” Guess what… Nations are scorning. It is not sufficient to say that there will come a time when the nations don’t scorn. I agree that there will come a time, but there will not come a time with the current state of Israel. She is still out of the covenant. The evidence for that is that she does not have the temple, she does not have the sacrifices, and she is not at peace in the Land. All of these things are covenants that God has established with her.

Israel’s final redemption means they believe in the Lord their God

Lets start in Isaiah. We’ll then work our way through to Zechariah. For the record, the amount of Scripture that I’m referencing is small. Compared to the overwhelming testimony of Scripture, I am being quite conservative. The fact is, if you continue through to study the prophets, you’ll see over and over and over again this same testimony. Isaiah 10:20 says, “In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down, but will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.” What we find in this verse is a little bit of what I had previously spoken. Israel’s final redemption comes after a great calamity. “They will no longer rely on him who struck them down…” When Israel returns that final time, they will no longer trust on the arm of the flesh at all. The arm of the flesh has historically been Egypt that would be an ally to Israel, but this final allegiance will be with the Antichrist himself.

When they return the final time, they will trust in the Lord their God. “Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I,” Isaiah 52:6. When Israel shall return to the Land that final time, it shall be in such a manner that causes them to know it was God’s doing. They won’t take the prophecies about how God has said they would return, and therefore they have a right to the Land. This is taking the Lord’s name in vein. They act as though God has established them to bless them, so they can then then ignore Him in all other areas of their politics.

The Lord has indeed established the current nation of Israel. God has restored her, for no one else has the authority to do such a thing. That does not give Israel the right, however, to then take those promises and use them as a “magic genie” against all her oppressors. It is a shameful thing to use the name of the Lord as a safety blanket. When He shall redeem Israel and bring her back to the Land, that people will know Him. That kind of knowledge is not some sort of acknowledgment of God, but is a deep intimate knowledge. Because they have suffered His judgments, they shall know His mercy. For His judgments are His mercies.

That people will return knowing their God. That knowledge will consist of more than an intellectual ascribing. Israel shall deeply know and be united with God. She shall come to know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. That people will come to know Christ Jesus, and that kind of knowledge does not come cheaply for the Jew. There is a stripping that must take place. God must pluck up, destroy, and then plant. He must destroy any knowledge that they currently have, because even if it is truth, it is based in a false reality. Any false reality or perception of God cannot remain.

To have the proper knowledge of God as God is to have a proper knowledge of everything. It is that knowledge of Him that reveals to us our own self. It reveals to us the condition of the nations. It reveals to us the understanding of God’s purpose for the nations. For Israel to return knowing the Lord is more than a statement about them coming back and “believing” in Jesus. Our current understanding of repentance barely even scratches the surface. I think repentance is an understatement. “At that time, I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they will be my people… The people who survive the sword shall find favor in the desert. I will come to give rest to Israel,” Jeremiah 31:1-2. Notice here again the context of coming out of tribulation and destruction. God brings them out of calamity, “The people who survive the sword…”

“Then they will know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they, the house of Israel, are my people… You my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, are people, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord,” Ezekiel 34:30-31. God does not mince His words. He doesn’t speak into the air to fill it with noise. What He has said shall be done. That people will be His people. Though there is only a remnant of followers of Christ Jesus now, at that time they shall all be followers of Christ Jesus. As it is written, “And so, all Israel shall be saved,” Romans 11:26.

To move from their current beliefs (or disbeliefs) to the state of “all Israel shall be saved” is quite an epoch. Something drastic has to take place that Israel shall say, “I will go back to my Husband as at first, for then I was better off than now,” Hosea 2:7. That something is called the Time of Jacob’s Trouble. The Tribulation is the calculated drama to take place that will drive the Jewish people to repentance before the Lord. They will recognize that their punishment is in proportion to their sin (Ezekiel 7:8). To come to that acknowledgement is to come to the understanding that you are under judgment. When in history has that taken place? The only example that I can think of might be with the generation of Nehemiah.

To acknowledge that the Lord is judging His people is to acknowledge the error or our ways. But we are a stiff-necked people – all of us. It isn’t Israel that is stiff-necked and we can mock them for it. We have all been bullheaded and absolutely absurd. That kind of an acknowledgement from the people of God grants unto God His due worship and adoration. He has not slain us because He is against us, but because He is for us. He has not abandoned us and allowed mischief to take place. Instead, He is the author of the chastisement, and He is the finisher and “perfecter” of our faith.

“I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God,” Zechariah 8:8. To claim that the first can happen without the second is an abuse of Scripture. If we are content with saying that God has restored Israel in her sinful condition so that they might gradually come to know the Lord, then what exegetical error are we not capable of? This is quite possibly the one thing that needs to be understood in Christendom. If we are sending Jews back to Israel as a safe haven, we are sending them to their deaths. We are taking them out of the frying pan and throwing them into the fire.

Though it is true currently that the Jews worldwide are suffering persecution, it is not true that Israel is safe. If you send them to the Land, they will suffer the greater persecution. It is actually upon that land that the judgment is the most concentrated. There is better possibility of survival to endure the persecution in the nations than to go unto Israel where God has spoken, “though a tenth remains in the Land, it will again be laid waste,” Isaiah 6:13. Ninety percent of the population in Israel will either flee or die. God has declared that during the Tribulation there will only be a stump to remain (Isaiah 11:1). Zechariah 13:8 adds the detail that two-thirds will die in the land.

This is not a game. This is not something to wistfully send money in order to send the Jews back home. This is life and death. There is coming a time of judgment that is yet future that will eclipse even the Nazi Holocaust, and it will be worldwide. The devastation that will occur in the land of Israel will be such devastation that it will actually cause even some Christians to fall away from God. The question of “why” won’t cut it. To believe that God would allow such terror to break out upon the Jewish people is considered anti-Semitism. Yet, it might actually be the greatest form of love to warn them and prepare our hearts and homes to be a refuge for them.

Why is it that the Tribulation is the calculated drama to lead them to repentance? They won't just flee into the wilderness and "be sifted through all nations." They will find refuge in the wilderness (Revelation 12:6). That refuge will be a Church that has been prepared by God. They will flee Jerusalem to come unto a Body that is so unified in character and heart that Psalm 133 calls them "Zion." That reality being portrayed and lived out in daily interaction with the saints, and taking in the Jewish people as brethren instead of "sinners," is the very means necessary to drive them to envy. It is actually that very thing that will cause for the layers to be stripped away little by little. While they are suffering agony without the Holy Spirit, we are wrestling the principalities and powers over them in the Spirit. It is that wrestling that will actually lead to their blindness and hardness of heart being taken away - removing the veil and breaking their power (Isaiah 25:7, Daniel 12:7) - so that when Christ returns they shall each person break away to weep and repent (Zechariah 12:10-14).

The final redemption of Israel comes after great tragedy. It comes when they are brought back to the Land knowing their God. It comes when there is to be worldwide peace. There is only one thing that can cause such a predicament:

Israel’s final redemption happens at Christ’s return

Nothing short of the revelation of Jesus returning on the clouds will save them. The nations will behold Him coming, and all they that have persecuted Israel will be held accountable. The nations will gather to Jerusalem for a final battle against Christ Jesus, but He shall prevail over them. It is actually upon this return of Jesus that God has ordained the redemption of Israel. There is much to the story that needs to be played out and explained as to how we get here, but know that it takes nothing less than their rejected Messiah (beholding Him whom they have pierced – Zechariah 12:10) returning to cause repentance to spring up in the House of Israel.

It is prophesied in Genesis 49 what shall come to pass in the last days. Upon Judah (from where we get the Jews) the prophecy is given, “The scepter will not depart from Judah; nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” This is an obvious prophecy that Christ shall come from Judah. But notice that it is an end time prophecy, and that the gathering of the people is unto Him.

“The oppressor will come to an end, and destruction will cease; the aggressor will vanish from the land. In love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit on it – one from the house of David – one who in judging seeks justice and speeds the cause of righteousness,” Isaiah 16:4-5. Notice the oppressor is defeated when the throne is established. The oppressor is the Antichrist, which is a shadow of the ultimate oppressor: Satan. Later Isaiah says (33:17-18), “Your eyes will see the King in His beauty and view a land that stretches afar. In your thoughts you will ponder the former terror.”

It is upon beholding His appearing that Israel is saved. On that day, when Christ returns, He shall gather Israel. It shall be in that day that kings and queens will bring them back upon their shoulders (Isaiah 49:22-23). At the return of Christ, Israel is redeemed. When Israel is redeemed, the nations are subjected under her. When the nations humble themselves and “enter the tent of Shem” (Genesis 9:27), then everlasting righteousness has been established, and world peace will last from generation to generation. All of this climaxes at the return of Christ.

Fulfillment of Prophecy, but not of Promise

There is a text in Ezekiel that explains what we’re seeing in the Middle East currently. “Then the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross unto me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron, and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. As men gather silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin into a furnace to melt it with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted insider her. As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath upon you,” Ezekiel 22:17-22.

The current state of Israel is a fulfillment of prophecy, but not of promise. God has gathered the people back together a second to final time in judgment. The plan is to convict of sin, and to display to Israel her wrongs. When Israel has acknowledged that she has sinned before the Lord, the end has come.

In Isaiah 11:11, God says, “In that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of His people…” Why does God reach out a second time? We’re seeing the first time play out before our eyes. Yes, God brought Israel back to the Land. However, that restoring to the Land is not based upon the redemption of Israel and the restoration of the covenant. Instead, it is based upon judgment. God will pour out His furor upon a disobedient people.

“For a little while your people possessed your holy place, but now our enemies have trampled your sanctuary,” Isaiah 63:18. We learn from Daniel 8:10 and other places that the Temple will be rebuilt, and sacrifices begun to be offered again. The Antichrist will cut off the sacrifices and sit himself upon the throne in the Temple (2 Thessalonians 2:4). There has to be a temple and sacrifices for that to happen. I don’t believe that we’ll be seeing Israel having the Temple and sacrifices for a long time. It says in Isaiah 63:18 that they have possessed His holy place “for a little while.”

We are beholding prophecy play out before us, but we are not witnessing the restored and redeemed Israel that is gathered back to the Land by Jesus Christ Himself. There is a coming calamity before that will take place. Israel will pass through another time of being sifted through the nations. The Jewish people will be uprooted from that Land and scattered throughout all nations. When God has sifted them as one sifts grain in a sieve, then the end has come. So many things connect right at the very end.

We could spend a lifetime searching out the details of all of the sub-stories. All of the little details that are given to tell us what is happening to Israel during the Tribulation is one “story.” Another “story” is what is happening to the Church. Another story is what is happening in heaven. Another story is what is going on in the midst of the nations. Another story is what is going on in the midst of the Antichrist’s kingdom. All of these stories interweave, but ultimately intersect together into one story at the consummation of the age: the return of Christ. 

To understand what is playing out before our eyes is a life and death necessity. I'm not against building ministries or sending the Jews back to Israel per se. But to do so without the understanding of a coming calamity that Jesus gave the warning, "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 14:15-16 paraphrase), is the same as wickedness. This is ministerial malpractice at its absolute worst. We have not rightly divided the word, and the result will be the blood of countless masses upon our hands.

Priestliness is Fatherhood, Fatherhood is Priestliness

            The Father loves the Son. His great love is shown through that He desired only to benefit His son. I think to say that God desired “the best” for His Son is provocative, to say that least. The Father didn’t simply desire “the best” for His Son, but desired an eternal blessing. It was the Father’s heart to glorify the Son, which is much deeper than saying “the best.” I think this might be where many of us go wrong. We desire to give “the best” for our children, but how do we define that “best”? God the Father desired to glorify His Son. That glory that He should impart upon His Son was to give Him a name above every name – even His own name.

            “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to” the Son. When it was the Father’s right, seeing as He is eternal and shall never die, to keep Himself upon the throne, nothing delighted Him more than to give everything He had to His Son. No longer do we don’t call upon the Father, but instead we pray “in Jesus’ name.” This isn’t to separate the Father and Son, but to say that it pleases the Father that His Son should receive the higher honor and glory. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father who is in heaven…” The Father delights that we should honor the Son.

            Fatherhood is priestliness, and priestliness is fatherhood. The two are interwoven. To be priestly, one must be fatherly. Fatherhood is defined above: to desire nothing but the glorification of the Son. When we are spiritual fathers, adopting sons of our own to raise in the faith, our desire should not be to “impart something of worth,” but instead to sacrifice everything – expending ourselves and being spent – so that our son might be glorified and exalted higher than we ever could have dreamed. This is the priestly act.

            We are called to being a royal priesthood. Yet, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the question asked: priests for whom? It is not wrong to say that we are priests to one another. In a real sense, we need to take up one another’s burdens and carry them together. I should go to the elders with my faults so that they might pray for me and I might be healed. I should look to the others in the Body to confess my faults, and in that confession to both be held accountable and have someone else to wrestle with me. I should take my petition to another brother as one would take the sacrifice to the priest. They, in return, then take that sacrifice of confession unto the Lord to seek deliverance from the power of sin.

           There is another level to this. We are called to be priests unto Israel. To be Israel’s priests is to take upon self their sins and their wretchedness. We endure the shame of their guilt, exchanging our glory for their shame, so that they might be glorified and exalted to such a place that they can fulfill their ultimate mandate: to be a nation of priests. When Israel is a priestly nation, then the other nations, as nations, can come unto God. As long as Israel remains a people that do not know their God, only individuals will come to Him. There will be a remnant. But when Israel is redeemed, then even the nations will come up to Jerusalem (Micah 4:2).

            Our calling to be priests is a call to being fathers. We need to have a father’s heart. Whether we have come to a place of having a father’s heart is going to be best explained in how we react to this generation. If our heart is to say, “Those darn millennials are just a bunch of hoodlums,” then our heart condemns us. But, if our heart is to break over the amount of youth that are giving themselves over to pornography, lust, violence, and crude entertainment, and we would say to those parents that don’t care about their children, “Send your unwanted children to me,” then we have obtained unto priestliness. It is a priestly thing to submit oneself under agony and suffering for the sake of a generation, or “corporate son.”

            Fathers are so much more than teachers. Priests are so much more than people that minister the sacrifices. To be a priest or a father is to impart life. In 1 Thessalonians 2:7-8, Paul elaborates a bit more for us: “We proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.”

            Unlike the gifts and callings of God, where God gives to some, the call of fatherhood is made to each and every man in the faith. We should corporately be a fatherly people, in which the world doesn’t have the slightest idea what it means to be “bastard.” If the world’s fathers are so bankrupt of anything sacred that they will abandon their children, then the men of the faith should open their homes and take in those that have no fathers. There should be a refuge and safe haven for all the orphans. Even James says that “religion that is pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

            This in no way means that we should run out into the streets and start pulling the first young man that we see into our homes. All things are done according to the Spirit. All I’m suggesting is that when we are truly of a father’s heart, or a mother’s heart, we yearn for those that are abandoned. We hear of those that have no fathers and we do everything in our power to help that one or two that we know. Maybe we know more than one or two; maybe we only know one. The point isn’t the number, but the heart.

            One man has written, “If we can be faithful to this call, the next generation may yet say to us, ‘Thank you for thinking beyond yourselves, for allowing the Lord to invest in you in such a way that you now have much to deposit in us,’ and thereby serving the purpose of God in your generation, as well as theirs.” Ultimately, the issue of fatherhood is first a spiritual issue. We are to be fathers to those in the faith. We are to take in those that have no father to teach them of the ways of God. There is a generation of young men and women that go to youth group, but have nothing to do with the generation before them. There is such a divide between the Baby Boomers, Generation X, and the Millennials. I am fearful to ask what the chasm will be between these and “the Silent Generation” (from the year 2000 to present).

            In the Old Testament, it is continually said over and over that we are to pass on to the next generation the Law of God and the stories of our history. Those that came out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land were to tell the stories of how God brought them out of Egypt and delivered into their possession the Land. Yet, we find in the very next generation after Joshua dies that Israel is carried away into idolatry. What happened? Either the children didn’t care, or the fathers weren’t fathers.

            The statement is made by Hosea, “Like priest, like people.” I think it can be paraphrased, “Like father, like children.” If the fathers don’t care about the things of God, then the children won’t care about the things of God. Too many times I look at the “elders” in the faith, and their eyes are glossed over. They’re still technically alive, but they’ve lost all joy and unction. While everyone else is still maturing in their faith, the one who should be a father to us all is sitting behind the television zoning out of reality. Their eyes have glossed over and their mind has dulled. The no longer see reality, let alone care about reality. And then that gets passed onto the next generation.

            You allow that for multiple generations in a row, and you’ll find yourself in the place where we are currently. Just as much as the question can be asked, “Where are the fathers?” the question can be asked, “Where are the sons?” We have raised up a generation that doesn’t want a father. They’ve become so accustomed to the dread of their own fathers, and the relationships of “lording it over the flock” that they really just want to rebel against anything that calls itself “authoritative.” But this isn’t because the youth have a rebellious heart.

            King Saul at one point told his army that they were going to fight all night. The men were tired. They were hungry. They were exhausted. Then Saul says that they aren’t allowed to eat until they have gained the victory. Guess what the people did. As soon as they had victory they started eating the animals of that people they had victory over. They didn’t even wait for the meat to be thoroughly cooked. They ate the meat with the blood in it. Then Saul laid to their charge that they were sinning by eating the meat with the blood. What’s wrong with this picture?

            That army would not have eaten the meat with the blood in it if King Saul had allowed them to sleep and eat. But instead, he continued to slave drive the army of Israel. We have the same thing in our time. There is a generation that has been stepped on, abused, misused, abandoned, and despised since their conception. They’ve grown up and began to rebel. Whose fault is it? Do we stand in self-righteousness like King Saul? Or do we weep because we have sinned in mishandling the things of God? The answer to that question will reveal more than we're willing to behold of ourselves. When we’re dealing with God’s ultimate purposes, we’re dealing with the very heart of God. It takes a priest to read and teach such things, let alone enact them.

            I think that it is past time that we pursue God's ultimate intentions. If that ultimate intention is fatherhood, which I'm beginning to think that it might be, then we strive with all of our might to be fathers. If there is anything that many of us buck against it is the idea of fatherhood. It might be the most needed thing in our culture, and yet the most opposed at the same time.

The Principalities and Powers

I found my fingers writing this while changing my Eschatology 101 outline into "book form." This was the introduction I gave to the subject of the principalities and powers. I cannot take credit for this writing. There is absolutely no way for me to express that I have this kind of wisdom. It was Holy Ghost inspired. The statement is not yet complete, so bare with the imperfections of it, but the exposition with real life event is something more than I am personally able to speak.

            There is a demonic force that is influencing all government and institutions. Nothing is beyond that influence. These demonic figures, typically the name Satan is given to represent all of them, are also called “the principalities and powers…” Principality and power causes for many Christians to think of governmental authority. However, what is being addressed is bigger than a king or ruler. These demonic principalities and powers have rule and sway over the realm of systems that causes for the whole world to be a massive Egypt in which all of humanity is subject to their rule. Humanity has been taken away from the place of freedom and brought into the place of bondage. But a bondage of what kind?

            A system is any institution, corporation, or organization that seeks it’s own perpetuation and/or goals over and above anything or anyone else. People do not matter. They are only numbers – means to an end. The ultimate end for systems is their perpetuation or success. Depending on what the “goal” of the institution, corporation, or organization is, we find the degree to which it despises and oppresses humanity. Even the organizations that are supposed to be bringing water to other countries and helping their fellow man are systems that ultimately cause oppression and slavery.

            I’ll give an example from a Christian college that I had visited while looking to go into “ministry training.” The college was a prominent college in my area (Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky), and they had a program where I could get a degree in Biblical Studies. When my wife and I (fiancé at that time) visited the school, they had bragged about how they are debt free. We saw the campus: an easy 30 acres, about 15 or more buildings, the latest technology, sprinkler systems going, and all the bells and whistles that say, “We are just as credible as any secular college that you will find.”

            This Christian college bragged about being debt free. They claimed that the Bible is their foundation. They claimed that being debt free is something to take seriously (I’m sure they heard this from someone like Dave Ramsey). They claimed that they use their budget wisely so that they can keep up-to-date on all of the latest technology and trends. Yet, when we asked about scholarships they said they don’t have any.

            Did you see it? This Christian college that would brag about being debt free keeps from going into debt by putting children into debt. Their goal is to be just as great, if not even better, than the secular universities. Their goal is to do all of that and more, because they are doing it Scripturally. Their goal is to keep from going into debt. How are they going to attain that end? They will force their thousands of students to go into massive debt of $5,000 to $15,000 a year, depending on their major and whether it is seminary or not. Tell me, how Christian is it to fund your empire on the backs of slaves?

            In the Bible, God told Israel that because they were enslaved in Egypt that they should never have slaves. If a foreigner comes into your land, you can hire them and cause them to work for you, but no Israelite has an occupation, and no Hebrew owns slaves. Everyone tends to their own homestead and trades with their community so that everyone is able to feed their families. If someone is in need, you take care of the poor. You take care of the widow and orphan. If someone can’t take care of himself or herself, for whatever reason, then it is your job to take care of them.

            Yet, when we get to 1 Kings, we begin to read of the kingdom of Solomon. Solomon was the son of David. He had 300 wives, which was specifically condemned for kings to do (Deuteronomy 17:17). He gathered horses; another thing condemned by God for kings to do (Deuteronomy 17:16). Then he also built the Temple of the Lord on the backs of slave labor (1 Kings 9:15). He also used that slave labor to build his palace and military bases. Behold Solomon’s kingdom: the New Egypt.

            The way that the 1 Kings records Solomon’s kingdom is very subtle, but very insulting. Solomon’s income is an annual 666 “talents” – a talent being about 25 tons. Going up to Solomon’s throne are six steps. On each step are two lions opposing each other. You have six lions on the left, six lions on the right, and six steps going up to the throne to give us another “666.” Solomon’s kingdom is being equated with the kingdom of Satan. Why? The reason for this equation is that Solomon had deliberately gone against the commandment of the Lord in multiple behaviors. In Solomon’s disobedience to God, he is actually establishing that even Israel itself is a system that is influenced more by the principalities and powers than by God.

            That “Christian college” that enslaves countless students each year so that they can look good has the same fate. I don’t care who the dean is. I don’t care how saved the staff are. I don’t care how Biblical the messages at chapel are. When you forfeit standing with God in absolution in such a way to push your agenda over and above the lives of people, then you have forsaken the command to “walk worthy of your calling.” The only thing left after Jerusalem becomes the “New Egypt” is exile. Babylon is the true kingdom of darkness, the nation that Satan has put his name upon, and any establishment that sacrifices their Christianity (or in this case, the next generation) upon the altar of Baal will inevitably be taken away into that darkened kingdom.

            If you love the darkness so much that you reject the light, then the darkness is what you will receive. Whether we have establishments and institutions of religion, or whether they are systems of government, it doesn’t matter. A system by definition looks out for itself before bending the knee to help out those that are connected to it. It might be true that they do a lot of good. But somewhere in the core of that foundation will be darkness. You cannot be beyond this. The only way to be free from this kind of manipulation of the principalities and powers is to not be a system. The only way to not be a system is to be an organism. What exactly an organism looks like is equally as difficult to understand.

            For we as the Body of Christ to be an organism instead of a religious institution would require that we are no longer supporting any kind of Egypt. Either God brings us out from Egypt or we’re still in Egypt.  A partial deliverance is no deliverance. We might come out from the world in the sense that we are no longer enslaved to sin, but if we then continue in the ways of the world – the establishment and perpetuation of systems – then we haven’t truly been brought out of the world. This is all or nothing. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we are to be jobless, without schooling, etcetera. It means that even if we are in that system, we are not of that system. We do not endorse it, and we blow the whistle. We make it clear where we stand and we are not afraid to condemn such things as evil. Even if we are at a “Christian college,” we call the entire infrastructure to repentance and not merely a few souls within it.