Revelation 2 and 3

[Richie]

Revelation Chapters 2 and 3

Dear friends,

I wish to have a deep study particularly on these two chapters of the revelation. What I perceive is that the Lord is talking about the different kind of people we have in the body of Christ.

I would like to hear from you regarding these two chapters. I hope it will be a blessing to all of us and I also hope that it will be interesting too.

God bless you.

Revelation 2

The loveless church

1 Unto 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.

The persecuted church

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.

11He 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.

The lenient church

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 stumblingblock 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.

The compromising church

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.

Revelation 3

The lifeless church

1 And 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.

The obedient church

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.

The lukewarm church

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.

 

[Richie]

Well I'm surprised that nobody has joined yet.

But I wish if somebody could join because we can gain a lot of spiritual knowledge from each and every verse in these two chapters.

God bless you.

 

[rjones]

I'll study with you brother. Here's some of what I'm learning.

The seven churches in Asia refers to the Roman province of that name in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey); these representative churches are mentioned by name in (Rev 1:11), and each is the recipient of a message (Rev 2:1-3:22). Seven is the biblical number suggesting fullness and completeness; thus the seer is writing for the whole church.

Each of the seven letters follows the same pattern: address; description of the exalted Christ; blame and/or praise for the church addressed; threat and/or admonition; final exhortation and promise to all Christians.

Re.2:1

Ephesus: this great ancient city had a population of ca. 250,000; it was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and the commercial, cultural, and religious center of Asia. The other six churches were located in the same province, situated roughly in a circle; they were selected for geographical reasons rather than for the size of their Christian communities. Walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands: this signifies that Christ is always present in the church;

Re.2:2

Who call themselves . . . impostors: this refers to unauthorized and perverse missionaries.

(Acts 20:29-30)"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them".

Re.2:5

Nicolaitans: these are perhaps the impostors of (Rev 2:2); . There is little evidence for connecting this group with Nicolaus, the proselyte from Antioch, mentioned in (Acts 6:5).

Re.2:7

Victor: referring to any Christian individual who holds fast to the faith and does God's will in the face of persecution. The tree of life that is in the garden of God: this is a reference to the tree in the primeval paradise (Gen. 2:9). The decree excluding humanity from the tree of life has been revoked by Christ.

 

[Richie]

I'll study with you brother. Here's some of what I'm learning.

The seven churches in Asia refers to the Roman province of that name in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey); these representative churches are mentioned by name in (Rev 1:11), and each is the recipient of a message (Rev 2:1-3:22). Seven is the biblical number suggesting fullness and completeness; thus the seer is writing for the whole church.

Each of the seven letters follows the same pattern: address; description of the exalted Christ; blame and/or praise for the church addressed; threat and/or admonition; final exhortation and promise to all Christians.

Re.2:1

Ephesus: this great ancient city had a population of ca. 250,000; it was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and the commercial, cultural, and religious center of Asia. The other six churches were located in the same province, situated roughly in a circle; they were selected for geographical reasons rather than for the size of their Christian communities. Walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands: this signifies that Christ is always present in the church;

Re.2:2

Who call themselves . . . impostors: this refers to unauthorized and perverse missionaries.

(Acts 20:29-30)"I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them".

Re.2:5

Nicolaitans: these are perhaps the impostors of (Rev 2:2); . There is little evidence for connecting this group with Nicolaus, the proselyte from Antioch, mentioned in (Acts 6:5).

Re.2:7

Victor: referring to any Christian individual who holds fast to the faith and does God's will in the face of persecution. The tree of life that is in the garden of God: this is a reference to the tree in the primeval paradise (Gen. 2:9). The decree excluding humanity from the tree of life has been revoked by Christ.

Dear Brother Rjones,

Thank you so much for joining me in this study.

So let us make it comprehensive, so that we can learn many things spiritually.

Revelation 2:2: 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:

"I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience......"

God is watching everything in us, whether it is good or bad.

"......and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars"

Let us see few more verses in addition to what you mentioned:

Jude 1:4: For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 2:1: But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God and even turn against their Master who bought them. Theirs will be a swift and terrible end.

2 Peter 2:22: They make these proverbs come true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and “A washed pig returns to the mud.

There are people within the Church, misleading the people, denying our Lord with false doctrines, being born again Christians they turn against our Lord and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

2 Peter 2:21: It would be better if they had never known the right way to live than to know it and then reject the holy commandments that were given to them.

So we need to be very careful (spiritually that is) and very stable minded.

Now let us come to:

Revelation 2:6: But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

I actually asked a question about this doctrine in the thread named:

http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/17485-doctrine-nicolaitans.html (Please see it).

The discussion matched exactly to what you said.

But can you help me understand this verse deeper:

Revelation 2:5: 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.

I believe that the Lord is giving us the Church a stern warning especially to those who have gone astray.

Thank you so much once again for joining me in this study. I'm so glad that you have joined this study with me.

God bless you.

 

[rjones]

To the Church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11)

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: Smyrna means crushed. It comes from the same root as Myrrh, an embalming spice the released its aroma when crushed. Smyrna represents the 2nd and 3rd Century church that suffered intense persecution.

Title These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. The emphasis in the title is obvious, overcoming death.

Commendation I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. The first to persecute the church were Jews. Polycarp, the most famous of the early martyrs was the Bishop of Smyrna and was burned at the stake there at age 86.Admonition Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. The ten days refers to the reigns of 10 Roman Caesars, covering a period of 250 years.

Call Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. There's no promise of deliverance, only of reward in Heaven. The stories of believers' grace in the face of death while ingenious and diabolical methods were employed to exterminate them as a form of public entertainment have achieved legendary status.

Challenge He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Many of us in the west have never faced serious threats on account of our faith, but world wide the number of Christian martyrs has averaged over 1 million per year for the last 10 years. Their number will only grow as the End draws nearer.

Promise He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." The old adage goes: Born once, die twice. Born twice die once. It's the second death that you have to watch out for. It's the permanent one.

The parable of the Tares and the Wheat carries similar insights to this letter, as does Paul's letter to the Philippians, the theme of which is joy through suffering.

 

[Richie]

Sir,

If you don't mind, before we go ahead in Revelation 2:8-11, could you please see my post just above this post. I had posted it just 10 minutes back.

God bless you.

 

[rjones]

Greetings and blessings to you brother. I'm glad to be studying with you. I was posting the same time as you earlier.

I've read your post and your scripture references are excellent.
Here's 1 more. (Lk. 17:21) The parable of the wheat and tares.

In (Re.2:5) I believe Jesus is telling the church (then and now)this: to go back to doing what you did at first. Remember when you couldn't get enough of the Bible? When you showed up at church half an hour early, just because you loved being there, and didn't want to leave when the service was over? How you kept up a running conversation with the Lord that began when you woke up in the morning and didn't end till you fell asleep at night?

As for the candlestick (lamp stand) The lamp stand is identified in (Re.1:20) as the church, so removing it means removing the church of Ephesus. The ruins of Ephesus are extensive with only the faintest traces of a 1st century church left.

The church at Ephesus had become so busy in its service to the King that it had forgotten about the King! The relationship He sought was turning into another religion. There's only One worthy to receive our worship, and worshipping Him is the Church's primary purpose.

Though the letter to Ephesus describes the Apostolic era, the church struggles with the same problems today. The church as a whole is too distracted with programs and plans, your congregation is too busy implementing them, and you're too busy helping. We're human beings, not human doings, and once we're saved being with the Lord in fellowship is our life's purpose.

Because of the emphasis on good works and programs in the church today, many who call themselves Christians, and rightly consider themselves to be hard working members of their congregations, have never taken the time to meet the King they claim to serve and receive the pardon He purchased for them with His life. How shocked they'll be to hear Him say, "I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers." (Mt. 7:23)

 

[Richie]

The church at Ephesus had become so busy in its service to the King that it had forgotten about the King! The relationship He sought was turning into another religion. There's only One worthy to receive our worship, and worshipping Him is the Church's primary purpose.

Though the letter to Ephesus describes the Apostolic era, the church struggles with the same problems today. The church as a whole is too distracted with programs and plans, your congregation is too busy implementing them, and you're too busy helping. We're human beings, not human doings, and once we're saved being with the Lord in fellowship is our life's purpose.

Because of the emphasis on good works and programs in the church today, many who call themselves Christians, and rightly consider themselves to be hard working members of their congregations, have never taken the time to meet the King they claim to serve and receive the pardon He purchased for them with His life. How shocked they'll be to hear Him say, "I never knew you. Away from me you evil doers." (Mt. 7:23)

So you mean to say that we need to spend time in prayer and spiritual growth from what you mentioned in this quote.

I agree very well with that. He knows us what we are, how sincere we are.

Besides to what you mentioned for:

Matthew 7:23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

I would like to say that we need to be sincere in what we do and what we say and I do agree with what you mentioned for this verse.

Thank you so much for your reply.

God bless you.

By the way shall be proceed further to Revelation 2:8-11 or shall we continue to have more references?

 

[rjones]

Let's look at the next church. (Re.2:8-11)

 

[Richie]

Let's look at the next church. (Re.2:8-11)

Alright we'll go ahead, but kindly give me 1 or 2 days time because I'm still preparing the notes for this.

God bless you.

 

[rjones]

To the Church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11)

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.

I know your works:
Jesus knew the works of the church in Ephesus also (Revelation 2:2). In Smyrna, Jesus also knew their works, tribulation, and poverty. He knows these hardships both in the sense that He saw what happened to them, and in the sense that He knew their hardships by His personal experience.

Poverty:
According to history, Smyrna was a prosperous city. Yet the Christians there were poor. “The word used for ‘poverty’ is the word for abject poverty. They were not just poor.”
The Christians of Smyrna knew poverty because they were robbed and fired from jobs in persecution for the gospel. Early Christians joyfully accepted the plundering of their goods, knowing that they had an enduring possession for themselves in heaven (He.10:34). This kind of economic persecution was one important reason why Christians were poor in Smyrna. Even today, this is a common form of persecution against Christians.

But you are rich.
Rich: Every outward circumstance said that the Christians in Smyrna were poor, even destitute. But Jesus saw through the circumstances to see that they are really rich. Sweet smelling Smyrna, the poorest but purest of the seven. Rich is what Jesus thought of them, and if Jesus considered them rich, then they were rich. Our estimation of ourselves is far less important than God’s estimation of us. In contrast, the Christians at Laodicea thought they were rich, but they were really poor (Rev.3:17). Laodicea was a poor rich church. Smyrna was a rich poor church. Better to be a rich poor church than a poor rich church. The contrast between material poverty and spiritual riches of the Christians in Smyrna reminds us that there is nothing inherently spiritual in being rich. Although, there is also nothing inherently spiritual in poverty. Material riches are an obstacle to the Kingdom of God, an obstacle that some do not overcome (Mk. 10:23-25). There is nothing wrong with having money; the trouble is that money so easily “has” us.

Often, material riches are acquired and maintained at the expense of true spiritual riches. In the glory days of the Renaissance Papacy, a man walked with the Pope and marveled at the splendors and riches of the Vatican. The Pope told him, “We no longer have to say what Peter told the lame man: ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” His companion replied, “But neither can you say, ‘rise up and walk.’”

The church at Smyrna was also rich in leadership. One of the pastors of that church was named Polycarp. He was one of the Apostle John’s disciples, and served at Smyrna until 155 a.d. when he died heroically as a martyr.

 

[SpiritLedEd]

In the glory days of the Renaissance Papacy, a man walked with the Pope and marveled at the splendors and riches of the Vatican. The Pope told him, “We no longer have to say what Peter told the lame man: ‘Silver and gold have I none.’” His companion replied, “But neither can you say, ‘rise up and walk.’”

RJones: Can you document the source of this story? I have a niece who is questioning some of what she's been taught in the Catholic Church, and documentation of this story might be helpful to me as I speak with her.

Thanks,

SLE

 

[rjones]

Yes SLE, I be glad to.

Revelation 2 - Jesus’ Letters to the Churches
Revelation 3 - Jesus’ Letters to the Churches (Continued)

 

[Richie]

To the Church in Smyrna (Rev 2:8-11)

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: Smyrna means crushed. It comes from the same root as Myrrh, an embalming spice the released its aroma when crushed. Smyrna represents the 2nd and 3rd Century church that suffered intense persecution.

Title These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. The emphasis in the title is obvious, overcoming death.

Commendation I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. The first to persecute the church were Jews. Polycarp, the most famous of the early martyrs was the Bishop of Smyrna and was burned at the stake there at age 86.Admonition Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. The ten days refers to the reigns of 10 Roman Caesars, covering a period of 250 years.

Call Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. There's no promise of deliverance, only of reward in Heaven. The stories of believers' grace in the face of death while ingenious and diabolical methods were employed to exterminate them as a form of public entertainment have achieved legendary status.

Challenge He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Many of us in the west have never faced serious threats on account of our faith, but world wide the number of Christian martyrs has averaged over 1 million per year for the last 10 years. Their number will only grow as the End draws nearer.

Promise He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death." The old adage goes: Born once, die twice. Born twice die once. It's the second death that you have to watch out for. It's the permanent one.

The parable of the Tares and the Wheat carries similar insights to this letter, as does Paul's letter to the Philippians, the theme of which is joy through suffering.

Dear Brother Rjones,

I'm glad to be back to study with you. I was actually posting my reply yesterday, but as I was posting, there was trouble with my computer and so it got delayed. I'm very sorry for the delay.

Revelation 2:8:And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;

I was amazed at the way you gave the meaning for Smyrna.

I very well agree with you that this verse is about overcoming death.

Revelation 2:9:I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) ........

I believe that this is what God wants to say to us through this verse:

God knows every account that we keep. We may do certain things subconsciously, but God knows what we are doing, how sincere we are.

When we do something whether good or bad, God knows our intentions behind it, but since we're humans, we cannot see the real intentions of other people, but it will be revealed on the last day (Judgment day).

Matthew 10:26: ......for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

All our secrets and our intentions will be revealed on the final day.

Besides this God is going to test our work. If the glory was really given to Jesus, it will stand, or else it will not stand.

1 Corinthians 3:13-15:
Verse 13: every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.

Verse 14: If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

Verse 15: If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

When we do God's work, all our real intentions will be revealed on the last day.

When we give glory to Jesus in our heart, our work will stand. In other words we should rely on His grace, but this is the point where the down fall begins:

If we allow spiritual pride into our life (with the belief that we're spiritually strong in the Lord) and forget God's abundant grace that saved us, that will be the beginning of our downfall. So we need to be very humble in God's presence.

In the bible, you see how Paul the apostle always talks about His grace.

This is what should be in our mind all the time:

"I am saved by God's grace alone. If I'm doing God's work, it is nothing but God's abundant grace and mercy that is compelling me to do it. without God's grace I'm nothing. I can do nothing by myself, it is all God's work, all the power of the Holy spirit."

In addition to this, our focus should be on God and God alone. Once our focus shifts, we'll be losing His blessings. Before we see an example, Please read this thread:

http://www.talkjesus.com/bible-study-hall/17731-matthew-6-alms.html (click the thread).

Now let us consider an example of how we loose blessings when our focus shifts from God:

Numbers 20:8:Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.

God told Moses to speak to the rock, but what did Moses do instead:

Numbers 20:10-11:

10 Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?”

11 Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So all the people and their livestock drank their fill.

Moses struck the rock, while God told him to speak to the rock. You see, Moses’ focus was shifted from God to his staff. As a result of Moses’ shift of focus this is what happened to him:

Numbers 20:12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!

So we need to be very careful and focus on God alone whenever we do His work and work His will.

Revelation 2:9: ......and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

From this verse we can say that Satan is working his ways with the people in the church. Please see this thread, because it describes how satan works with Christians (ofcourse who are not truly born-again):

http://www.talkjesus.com/lounge/17917-devil-s-beatitudes.html (click the thread).

Revelation 2:10 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.

This verse surely talks about persecution. God is comforting us and telling us to be faithful, and He will reward us on the final day (Judgment day).

Please read this thread. It is a prayer request about how Christians are being persecuted in my country (India):

http://www.talkjesus.com/prayer-request/18053-urgent-prayer-request.html (click the thread).

In some African muslim countries, do you know what the muslims are being taught in the mosques? This is what they are being taught:

"If any person kills either a Jew or a Christian, that person will receive eternal life.".

There are millions of Christians being martyred year after year, decade after decade......

This, is what I believe, God wants to share with us.

Thanks for studying with me.

God bless you.

NOTE:

I have seen your second post about Revelation 2:8-11. Besides gaining spiritual knowledge, I'm gaining access to some of historical knowledge as well. Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge with me.

 

[rjones]

Brother Y5EE252_RICHIE, It's an honor to study with you.

I like your reference about how Moses shifted his focus. That's good stuff. What Moses did also caused the people to focus more on him and what he could do for them instead of them focusing on God and relying on Him to meet their needs.

I agree with you completely. We do need to be very careful and focus on God alone whenever we do His work and work His will.


The devil's beatitudes link was great. I've never read that before. Thanks for sharing that.

I applaud you for your strong spiritual drive and desire to learn God's Word.
Do you want to further look at the church at Smyrna or go on to the church at Pergamos. And would you lead the discussion on the next church?

Blessings to you in Jesus name.

 

[Richie]

Alright Brother Rjones, we'll go to the next Church. No matter whether you lead or I lead the discussion, God is leading us.

I like your references too.

God bless you.

 

[lightwait]

Hi to you all,

Something I have noticed on this subject is that God had nothing against two of the Churches and something against five of the Churches. Each that God had something against was given the way out of their difficulty.

Most of all, regardless of their position with God and their need to overcome, I noticed they were still given to be His Churches.

From a personal point of view—I am a sinner but God the Father has allowed me to know His Son.

Blessings

 

[rjones]

Awesome observation Brother Lightwait. Welcome to Talk Jesus and please continue to participate in this thread.

 

[Richie]

Brother Y5EE252_RICHIE, It's an honor to study with you.

I like your reference about how Moses shifted his focus. That's good stuff. What Moses did also caused the people to focus more on him and what he could do for them instead of them focusing on God and relying on Him to meet their needs.

I agree with you completely. We do need to be very careful and focus on God alone whenever we do His work and work His will.


The devil's beatitudes link was great. I've never read that before. Thanks for sharing that.

I applaud you for your strong spiritual drive and desire to learn God's Word.
Do you want to further look at the church at Smyrna or go on to the church at Pergamos. And would you lead the discussion on the next church?

Blessings to you in Jesus name.

Dear Brother,

Right now, I'm a bit busy because of examinations, so please don't mind if there is a delay in my reply.

God bless you.

 

[Richie]

Dear Brother Rjones,

I'm glad to be back to study with you. I'm very sorry for the delay.

Let us go ahead to Revelation 2:12-17.

Revelation 2:13: I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan’s followers.

One thing we've got to know is, that once we're saved, life is not going to be easy. We should trust in the Lord all the time and overcome obstacle after obstacle, satan puts infront of us. Satan tries his best, by all means to keep us away from the Lord. God gives us that strength to overcome.

Revelation 2:14-15:

Verse 14: And yet I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you who are like Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to worship idols by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.

Verse 15: In the same way, you have some Nicolaitans among you people who follow the same teaching and commit the same sins.

God may or may not have something against us, but everything He tells us for our good, because He loves us.

Now let us apply these two verses given above, practically.

Why did the Church compromise with sin? These could be the following reasons:

1). They did not take the matter of sin, seriously.
2). They allowed spiritual pride to attack them. Ultimately they deceived themselves.
3). They took advantage of God's abundant grace and mercy and fell in sin.
4). They didn't take the need for spiritual growth and prayer, seriously. They were too tired of doing good.

Ultimately some of them have gone astray.

Spiritual pride: When you believe that you are strong in the Lord and forget about how God's abundant grace and mercy has kept you spiritually alive, that is what is called spiritual pride. People with spiritual pride will not really focus on God or give glory to God in their heart, but their focus will be shifted away from God.

Moreover, they have the belief, that they are good enough to go to heaven.

If a person gains spiritual pride, the downfall begins.

We need to take the matter of sin, seriously:

Sin is sin, no matter whether it is small or big. Suppose, you have stolen something, but it is a very small, very cheap item, you may think, well it is not a big sin, not a big deal, but remember, you're being watched by God Almighty. Even if it is a small sin, you are sinning against God, therefore in God's eyes, you are guilty.

Please see this thread: http://www.talkjesus.com/get-saved-now/17739-you-good-person.html

James 2:11: For the same God who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” So if you murder someone, you have broken the entire law, even if you do not commit adultery.

If you have broken one of the 10 commandments, you have broken all, you are guilty of breaking God's law.

So no matter whether you're good or bad, we need to acknowledge the fact that we're all sinners and accept forgiveness from Jesus. He is willing to forgive us of all our sins, all the time.

Psalm 86:5:For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

We should not take advantage of God's grace:

Romans 6:1-2:

Verse 1: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

Verse 2: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

God forgives us of all our sins, that we might live in His presence, not fall again in sin.

2 corinthians 6:14-18:

Verse 14: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

Verse 15: And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

Verse 16: And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Verse 17: Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Verse 18: and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

The Church (Revelation 2:12-17) was too tired of doing good and knowing the importance of prayer:

Here I'm going to give very few verses, which the Church failed to follow:

1 Thessalonians 5:17: Pray without ceasing.

Please see this thread: http://www.talkjesus.com/prayer-request/4013-you-really-praying.html

Prayer is extremely necessary for living a Christian life. With out prayer, it is impossible to live a Christian life.

2 Thessalonians 3:13: And I say to the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never get tired of doing good.

Now let us go to the next verse of our study:

Revelation 2:16: Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

It is obvious that God has warned the people in the Church (Who have gone astray) to come back. He warns His people, because He loves His people.

Some of you may be seing this thread right now, if you're gone astray, God is warning you to come back to Him, He loves you, no matter what you have done.

God bless you.