Prepared for Greatness

I would like to apologize for not putting anything on our blog site for a while. Our computer has been in the shop and we just got it back. This week I'd like to take a break from our study and share something new that God put in my heart just a couple of weeks ago. He had me preach this in our church service, and I'd like to share at least the highlights of this sermon with you.

I Corinthians 2:9 says, "But as it is written, 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'" For years I thought this verse was talking about the hereafter, about heaven and eternity; and I believe this is the way most of us have heard it preached. But if you put it in context with the Scriptures before it and the Scriptures after it, then we see that this is not what Paul was talking about. He was talking about a present glory, a present state of experiencing the greatness of God. Paul is quoting here from Isaiah 64:4 which reads, "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, besides thee, what He hath prepared for him who waits for Him." Paul is making it very clear that he is speaking of a present time of God's glory. A present time of God's greatness being expressed to His people and through His people.

I Corinthians 2:10 says, "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God." Paul had just been talking about the mysteries of God and how God had revealed them to the apostles and unto those who were declaring His word. Paul had declared to them what these mysteries were. For instance he speaks of salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ, through the shed blood of Jesus, this was a mystery. How can a person be saved from sin by someone else shedding their blood or by someone else's death? It was a mystery to those people of Paul's time and he was explaining these mysteries of the cross to them. When he was speaking of the power of the Holy Ghost it was a mystery. How can God's Spirit come and dwell within you? How can one be baptized in the Holy Ghost and have the power to be a living witness for God's glory? I believe there's even more to this verse that God has been revealing to me for the times in which we live, the end times, the last of the last days.

God is about to do a new thing in the world and especially among His people, the church of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 43:18 and 19 says, "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?" God is in the process right now of preparing His people, the church of Jesus Christ, the Saints of the Lord, for greatness. He's preparing us to do things that have never been imagined. Things that have never been done before. It's going to be awesome what we're about to witness. In John 14:12, Jesus says,"Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father." Jesus healed the cripple. The body of Christ has been healing the cripples ever since Jesus started it 2000 years ago. Jesus raised the dead. We hear the stories of many being brought back to life down through the history of the church. Jesus says greater works than these shall you do.

I believe there's more to these scriptures from I Cor.2. I believe we're going to do greater works than even He did, such as the healings, raising the dead, walking on water. God has shown me that He is preparing a people for greater works than the things that Jesus did. He's preparing us by bringing judgment to His church. He must get those things that hinder us from being used of him in a great way out of our lives. We know according to Peter that judgment starts in the house of God first, and I believe that that judgment has begun. We're hearing continuously about ministers being caught up in fraud and adulterous affairs and going through divorces. God is exposing our sins. God's judgment is coming to His house in the form of sickness and disease, through financial set backs and other calmities. As these things happen in our lives, I believe it's because God is bringing judgment to His house in order to prepare us for what he wants to do through us, His church. I've never seen so much sickness as I'm seeing today in the body of Christ. I've never seen so many prophets of God and apostles of God and ministers of the Lord and the righteous in the hospital suffering gravely as there are today. Cancer seems to be running rampant in the body of Christ. Heart problems are hitting the body of Christ like never before. Financial disasters, divorce, dysfunctional families, all in the body of Christ among those who profess to be Christians. I follow southern gospel music and I get the Singing News magazine monthly and generally there's a little paragraph or so of things that have happened or gone wrong and there's maybe another little paragraph of prayer requests for illnesses, deaths and this type of thing; but here lately it seems as though it's a page full of things that are happening among Christian groups that are going around spreading the gospel through music. You're constantly hearing of some group being involved in a bus wreck with severe injuries or deaths. We hear of buses that are catching on fire with the groups losing all their equipment. With sickness among the singers and even death I wonder if His judgment has started among all of us in the body of Christ?

We have to understand something about God, He is getting ready to do this new thing and He cannot and will not do it through unclean vessels. We must understand that as Christians God has his banner around us. We are covered by the blood of Christ. He is Jehovah Nissi, our banner. What happens is,as it was with Job, Satan went before God and asked permission to come against Job. He said,"You let me try him," and God said, "You can do whatever you wish but don't kill him," and God lifted his banner of protection off Job. Satan accused God of protecting Job and if He would lift the banner from around Job he would succomb to Satan's attacks. So God lifted his banner of protection off Job allowing Satan to come in and do everything but kill Job to test his faith. It was Jesus who told Peter that Satan had asked permission to sift him. As God had to lift his banner of protection off Peter in order for Satan to attack and to sift him, so it is with the saints. When we're going through this world and we have sin in our lives, or we have unrighteousness in our lives,or we have things that defile us in our lives, God lifts his banner off us and allows the enemy to come in to attack us. He's trying to get our attention. He doesn't want us to have cancer, or any other sickness, but if that's what it takes for us to cry out to God for forgiveness of our sins then He will allow it. God is wanting to get all of the defilement out of the body of Christ. He is wanting to get all of the sin out of the camp, the church, that he may raise us up in these last days to do great things, this "new thing" of God.

God is getting ready to do this new thing. He's preparing to do it and in order to do it he must clean up his vessels. He needs vessels of honor. He's not going to do it through the unclean, the impure, the sinful, the complacent, those who are playing games with Him. He's looking for the righteous seed that He can use for His glory. He is preparing us for greatness, we must understand this; but first he must cleanse us. God will reach out to us by His Spirit, through His Word, through a sermon, or whatever means necessary to get us to change. If we do not yield to His correction then He will withdraw His protection from us, allowing Satan to attack us. Either we will submit to his cleansing or face the consequences which is His banner being lifted. With His protection gone the enemy is allowed free access to us and to our families. To our finances. To our jobs. We must understand this, that in these last days God is wanting to do great things and He is going to do it through great people who have prayed the price. Who have died to themselves and allowing God to rise up in them to accomplish His plan for the end-times church. This is not a time to play religious games with God--He doesn't have time for games. If we always insist on doing things our way, if we keep on thinking that God is going to overlook all of our imperfections and our sins and use us anyway, we're only kidding ourselves. God is about to do a new thing and He's preparing each of us that we may be vessels of honor to be used in these last days to do the supernatural,the great things of God. But first we must be clean.

I suggest, get alone until you are no longer alone. Seeking God's face until He reveals to you the areas of your life that are unclean. The areas that need judgment. The areas that need to come under the blood so that we can be clean vessels ready for his use, well prepared for greatness.

END TIME STUDY--PT. 14

We will now continue our look at the vision given to Daniel in Daniel chapter 7. In this vision you are seeing not only the near future but all the way to the end of the history of mankind and judgment day. Daniel sees "the Ancient Of Days" seated on His throne as in judgment. All other thrones and kingdoms have been defeated and the Ancient of Days sits on His supreme throne as King of kings. His glory gives Him the appearance of having hair white as wool meaning He has an aura all around Him that is so bright that everything about Him is illuminated as pure white and glowing. This is the same image that John saw in Revelation 1:12-17 when he saw Jesus the Christ in all his glory.

In verse 11 Daniel sees what John saw in Revelation 19:17-21, that being, the Anti-christ, who speaks with "pompous words," being destroyed and cast into the lake of fire. With the world leader, the Anti-christ, slain and the remaining world leaders, "the beast," have all their power taken from them, yet their "lives were prolonged." They remain to be used to continue the deceit of Satan on earth since he is bound for a 1000 years (Rev. 20:1-3). This begins the thousand year reign of Jesus on earth, which Daniel sees in verses 13 and 14. This part of his vision corresponds with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar where he saw the same thing. "And in the days of the kings, (the toes and the horns),the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed;" (Daniel 2:44). This is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth after the five kingdoms of the world, which are the four beasts of Daniel 7, or to say the gold, silver, bronze and iron of Nebuchadnezzar's statue, including the 10 toes, are all crushed by the "stone" (Daniel 2:45).

Needless to say this vision left Daniel somewhat perplexed and troubled. He was seeing things that were to take place over two millennium in the future. Though not able to fully comprehend its meaning, Daniel was faithful to record this vision for future generations, especially the last generation which would receive the knowledge to understand this vision. Daniel sees that the final outcome of the history of mankind is for the Saints of God to inherit a Kingdom that is to be forever, eternal. Before the rapture, or the gathering of the Saints, and the return of Christ to set up his millennial reign, the Anti-christ will make war with the saints (vs. 21). Just who are these "Saints" spoken of here? The Aramaic word that is used here is gaddiysh(kad-deesh) meaning holy one, saint. The Hebrew derivative is gadash (kaw-dash) meaning to be clean, consecrated and dedicated to holiness, sanctifying oneself wholly. The Anti-christ will not be wasting his time and efforts on the lukewarm, compromising, religious "Christian." He will be waging war with the blood-bought, holy, dead-to-themselves Saints of God! Even the religiously correct will believe themselves to be doing the will of God when they speak out against the true saints; when they betray them and turn them in to the government officials; when they persecute them; etc. In these last days those calling themselves "Christians" will be the very ones that Satan will deceive into persecuting the true saints.

The reason why the true saint has been labeled a hate-monger, a Bible-thumping fanatic, a bigot, as well as other choice words of hate is because they believe in the absolute truths found in God's word. The world, including a vast majority of so-called "Christian" churches, do not want to be held accountable to a Bible that states absolute wrongs and rights. The true saint not only believes in the demands of the absolutes of God's word, they proclaim them to the world and most of all they live them. I believe that this is the number one reason why laws have been passed to silence the church. Her prayers are no longer allowed in the public arena nor is her Bible. The only religion not tolerated in the United States is true Christianity. This is proof that Christianity is of God otherwise it would be tolerated just as any other religion is tolerated. The Saints are a constant reminder of God's demand for holiness with no tolerance for compromise so they must be silenced by legislative action, open ridicule and persecution if necessary.

The church is going to experience persecution and atrocities at an ever-increasing rate until midway through the tribulation at which time all out war will then be declared against the Saints. The Jews will escape to Petra for the remaining three and half years of the Great Tribulation while the Saints will be fulfilling the great commission and doing great exploits. (Daniel 11;32).

We shall understand all this better when we return to our study of the Book of Revelation but before we can understand Revelation we must thoroughly comprehend the book of Daniel. Before going on in the study of the end times we should consider, that if Daniel was correct about the four kingdoms through his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, as well as his own visions, then the rest of his writings must also be true and are soon to come the past.

END TIME STUDY--PT. 13

I want us now to return to our study of the book of Daniel. The next event pertaining to our study is found in Daniel chapter seven were Daniel is given a vision of four beasts. Approximately fifty some years have been passed since Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream and now he is is around 65 years old as God reveals more end time events to him. This dream given to Daniel further clarifies the dream of Nebuchadnezzar that Daniel had interpreted in chapter two.

Daniel sees four great beasts which are to be interpreted the same as the four parts of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had seen, that being the head of gold, the breast of silver, the belly of bronze and the legs of iron with their feet made of iron and clay representing four kingdoms or empires. Daniel sees these four beast coming forth from the sea. This isn't to be taken literally as a sea of water, but figuratively as in "the sea of humanity." Verse seventeen states that these four great beasts, or four Kings, will rise "out of the earth," again this being figuratively used to express the fact that these four beasts will arise from humanity. They will be kingdoms or empires made up of humans with a king or ruler over them.

The first beast appears as a lion with the wings of eagles. When we think of a lion we picture a large male lion with a great mane. He is viewed as the king of beasts with great courage. Yet this great lion has wings like an eagle and, like viewing an eagle, we picture the wings outstretched as the eagle soars high above the earth. As we mix together our views of a lion and eagle we see the king of beasts soaring high above the earth with all his domain below him. He is ruler supreme. In this dream the lion represents Nebuchadnezzar, the head of gold, who was declared to be, "king of kings," by Daniel (2:37). He was supreme ruler of his empire, thus represented by a lion, Joel 1:6,7 refers to this lion. Also, the lion with wings was the national symbol of Babylon.

Daniel watches as the wings of this lion are plucked off. In chapter four Daniel tells of how Nebuchadnezzar's pride caused God to bring him down. He literally lost his mind and grazed with the oxen for seven years eating grass. But then God "lifted him up from the earth" by restoring his sanity and giving him the heart of a man whereby he would "stand on two feet like a man" which caused him to have a new appreciation for the power of God.

The next beast and Daniel sees is that of a bear (v.5). The bear is comparable to the silver breast and arms of Nebuchadnezzar's statue. As silver is of lesser value than gold so the bear is not as regal as a lion and an eagle. Therefore it represents a lesser kingdom than that which is conquered. However, its size is greater, as a bear is larger than a lion, and it will rise up and conquer the Chaldean Empire (Babylon). This bear represents the Medo-Persian Empire, the Medes being more prominent than the Persians, thus the lopsided bear, up on one side. This bear is seen as having "three ribs in its mouth between its teeth." These three ribs represent the three greatest conquests of the Medo-Persian Empire. Lydia in 546 BC; Babylon in 539 BC and Egypt in 525 BC.

The third beast seen by Daniel is that of a leopard (v.6). This symbolizes a lone king, for the leopard hunts alone. It moves swiftly symbolized by the "four wings." This beast represents Alexander the Great, the Grecian Empire which is the belly and thighs of Nebuchadnezzar's statue. This beast will move swiftly in attacking and conquering its enemies. It's four heads indicates that four rulers will come from this kingdom.

Then Daniel sees a fourth beast who is more terrifying than all the others put together (v.7). This beast has "iron teeth" which coincide with the iron legs of Nebuchadnezzar's statue symbolizing the fourth kingdom which would be the Roman Empire. This Empire would control all of central Italy by 338 BC then in 63 BC Pompey would conquer the holy land. In 70 A.D. the Roman general Vespasian ordered his son Titus to destroy Jerusalem. By 284 A.D. the Roman empire would be divided East and West. The last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, would be dethroned in 476 A.D. The Roman empire was the last great power on the earth seen by Daniel and out of it would come "ten horns," or ten nations which would form the ten regions of the modern world. These ten nations would be ruled by ten kings or rulers with some likened it to iron and others likened to clay (ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue), some strong while others would be seen as weak leaders.

I believe that all of this vision has been completed up to this point. The Babylonian Empire, the lion; the Medo-Persian Empire, the bear; the Grecian Empire, the Leopard; as well as the Roman Empire, with iron teeth, have all come and gone. The ten horns or nations are currently in place. Many have believed that these ten horns represent ten nations of the revived Roman Empire from which the Anti-christ, the "little horn," shall arise, but may I give you another interpretation of this portion of Scripture to challenge your thinking?

It was Daniel himself who said that knowledge would increase in the end (12:4). The body of Christ is now receiving revelation knowledge into the word of God and the times and seasons of the end as never before. We've come to understand the role that the Illuminati, Freemasonry, the Federal Reserve and other elitist groups are playing in setting the stage for the reign of Anti-christ. I believe that the "ten horns" and "ten toes of iron and clay" are referencing ten powerfully rich people. These are the ones who are the powers behind our world governments, especially the United States, and the only allegiance they have is to themselves and their quest for world domination. We all know that money is power and these ten will be the wealthiest of all.

When the Scriptures speak of empires and nations (beasts), they were for specific periods in what is now history. But when Jesus spoke of nations rising against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms (Matthew 24:7), He wasn't speaking of countries but ethnic and religious groups. The Greek for nation is "ethnos" meaning a people. Paul uses the word to describe a whole race of mankind (Acts 17:26) Jesus meant that ethnic and religious groups would rise up against one another. I will cover this more in depth when we look at Matthew chapter twenty-four later in this study.

I believe these ten powerful people, the ten horns and toes, will select a leader to rule their New World Order. He is to be their puppet and they are to pull all the strings necessary to gain world domination. Only one problem, this leader will be none other than the Anti-christ. He is the little horn of Daniel 7:8. As he becomes the savior of the world economy and brings peace by the use of "pompous words," he will eliminate, or have eliminated, three of the horns or world leaders of this elite group. These are toes of clay, weak and easily overpowered. Once he comes to full power he will no longer need anyone in order to rule the world government.

May I interject here that I personally believe that the Anti-christ is alive and well right now. Study the Scriptures and prepare yourself for the greatest hour of the church.

Pray for Our President

I must deviate from our end-time study in order to share with you a burden that God has put into my heart.

Like so many others I too have been guilty of bashing our president. True, there are good reasons to be upset with our president for the many bad decisions that have been made that have nearly crippled our nation. He seems to be anti-Christian with his lack of support for our National Day of Prayer, his support of gay issues, his stance on abortion, etc., etc. Yet, we are not admonished to bash,disagree with, argue with or ridicule our leaders but to pray for them. After all it is God who "removes kings and raises up kings."(Dan.2:21)

As I was viewing some pictures of President Obama in his teen and young adult years, I was drawn to those who were in the pictures with him. At a very early point in his life it would appear that he came under the influence of some very radical anti-America people and groups. These helped to mold and shape Barack Obama's domestic and world views. It would appear that he was brainwashed into this radically liberal mindset. He was groomed to became the puppet of these groups. He then was brought under the influence of a radical religious leader for twenty some years. A religious leader who spews hatred to stir up racial bigotry. This formed his ideas of Christianity. Now he sees and hears those professing Jesus as their Lord gossiping about their president as well as not exampling the love of Jesus. He may have never really seen the real Jesus Christ in the lives of those professing His name. He is bewildered about Christianity and what he sees the church exampling isn't very appealing. He needs to see the real life-changing Jesus at work in the lives of those professing Jesus.

As I viewed one particular picture of our president's college years my heart began to ache for him. God showed me the victim of years of radical influence. I saw Barack as a mentally abused boy. He had no idea how he had been so deceived by these purveyors of hatred. Those bent on the destruction of this nation. And now they have deceived a nation into making their puppet our president.

I believe God is showing me that if the saints will pray for our president to be saved, he will be saved. The scales of radical liberalism will be removed from his eyes and he will see the truth, which will set him free from the puppet strings of the radical haters of America. God would then use Barack Obama to expose the agenda of these radical groups, and he would become a great asset to the cause of Christ in these last days.

So, what do we do? Instead of looking for every opportunity to bash our president why don't we carry a burden for his soul and that of his family? LET'S PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT.

End Time Study--Pt.12

Before we can fully understand the Revelation that John records, we must go back and see what Daniel and others wrote about the end-time events that are summed up in the Book of Revelation. We shall begin with the Book of Daniel . When one understands the Book of Daniel all other scriptures pertaining to the end times, including Revelation, are made clear.

A brief introduction to the Book of Daniel opens with the beginning of the Babylonian captivity where Daniel remains there for all of the seventy years of captivity. Nebuchadnezzar, the king, ordered all the young Jewish males of royal families and nobility to be trained to serve the king as counselors. Daniel along with three of his companians Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Shadrach, Mishach and Abednego), were between the ages of twelve and sixteen when they were taken into captivity. They were taught the Chaldean language as well as Aramaic as well as the customs of their captors. Their training took place in the first three years of their captivity. They were given their Babylonian names and at the ages of fifteen through nineteen they became advisors to the king. When these four gave the king advice he found it to be ten times better than all the magicians, wise men, counselors, sorcerers and astrologers combined. (Dan.1:20)

It is in chapter two of the Book of Daniel that we get our first view of the end. Nebuchadnezzar has a dream and no one could interpret it. Although the king threatens the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers and wise men of the kingdom with a brutal death (cut to pieces) if they were unable to discern the dream and give it an interpretation. The king ordered all the wise men (advisors) to be put to death including Daniel and his three companions. The king felt an urgency because the Babylonian gods were limited to a short time or season for the interpretation of the dreams. Daniel and his three companions sought God's mercy to reveal the dream, along with its interpretation, to them. In a night vision God reveals the dream and its meaning to Daniel.

Daniel goes before the king and when asked if he can tell the dream and its interpretation, he responded by saying, "The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days." (Dan.2:27,28). As Daniel makes known the king's dream he describes a large statue which begins with a head of gold, followed by a chest and arms of silver, then a belly and thighs of bronze, with the final parts of the statue being legs of iron and feet made of partially iron and clay. From the head down the metals get progressively harder. From soft gold down to very hard iron.

These four metals of the statue represent four kingdoms with each kingdom becoming stronger than the previous one. A fifth kingdom of iron and clay toes will be a revision of the fourth kingdom or a group of ten leaders. As each kingdom rises to power it will possesses a stronger military force than the preceeding kingdom until the final kingdom, which will possess weapons of mass destruction. Mankind has gone from the weak weapons of swords and spears to smart bombs, guided missiles, thermonuclear devices and others capable of rendering all living creatures extinct. It will be during this time of the threat of annihilation that the last kingdom will rise which will spawn the anti-christ.

The first kingdom (head of gold) was the Babylonian Empire which was in power during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. The second kingdom (chest and arms of silver) was the Medo-Persian Empire. The third kingdom (belly and thighs of bronze) was the Grecian Empire. The fourth kingdom (legs of iron) was the Roman Empire. With the fifth and final kingdom of man (feet of iron and clay) being the strongest. It will supersede all other kingdoms of man. From this kingdom shall come the ten toes or to say ten kings or rulers. By being part iron and part clay they will not mix, thus the kingdom shall be divided. This will be the last kingdom of man before the Stone, not cut out by hands, will come and crush the kingdoms of man. "Jesus said to them,'Have you never read in the scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone?'"(Matt.21:42). These ten toes or rulers will attempt to adhere one to another through mingling "with the seed of man," but will fail. This "seed of man" is human effort attempting to rule the world through diplomacy and treaties that are designed to bring world peace. These are the very tactics that the anti-christ will use in deceiving Israel to enter a seven-year peace treaty. I believe that we are very close to witnessing this historical event.

We must understand the symbolisms of this statue in order to fully understand the Book of Revelation and the end times. In fact, without a thorough knowledge of Daniel, one would be hard pressed to fully comprehend the symbolisms found in the Book of Revelation. For this reason we must understand these ten toes. It will be from these that the anti-christ will rise to power.

Through Nebuchadnezzar's statue we see the history of mankind from 600 B.C. down through the present day and to the end of the history of mankind. We are extremely close to seeing these end-time events unfold before our very eyes. So, look up for your redemption draws nigh. Jesus,our Redeemer,is about to come back to earth and crush all the kingdoms of man (the statue) and establish His kingdom on earth for a thousand years. Without the Book of Daniel we cannot discern the world events that lead us to know the season of Jesus' return. For this reason we must look at Daniel's dreams and visions.

End Time Study--Pt.11

Having seen the twenty-four elders around the throne of God, John now notices that there are seven Spirits also around the throne as well. The number seven, meaning complete or finished, shows us that the fulness of the Holy Spirit is present with God. John sees the vastness of heaven as a sea of glass. He then gazes upon four living creatures who appear to be “full of eyes.” These represent the universal watchfulness from God’s throne, that these eyes see towards God and towards His creation. They are ever seeing. Nothing can be hidden from them. Thus, God sees all and knows all. These seven creatures symbolize the four divisions of the tribes of Israel around the earthly tabernacle. The “lion” represents Judah which occuppied the land along the east side of the tabernacle along with Issachar and Zebulun. The lion represents government administration. It is God who sets kings and governmental leaders. The lion also is the king of the beast. This signifies God’s dominion and authority. The lion shows that He who sits on the throne is the ruler of all and that His dominion is absolute and complete. The “calf”, i.e. ox, bullock or heifer, was the emblem of Ephraim who occupied the land west of the tabernacle along with Manasseh and Benjamin. It represents firmness, endurance and strength, meaning He who sits upon the throne is firm, strong, and has stability. The third creature was like the face of a man. This was the standard of Reuben who shared the land to the south of the tabernacle with the tribes of Simeon and Gad. “Face of man” denotes intelligence which is what distinguishes man from all other creations. He who sits upon the throne conducts His government with intelligence and wisdom. The “flying eagle” is the emblem of Dan to the north of the tabernacle along with Asher and Naphtali. The eagle is known for its speed, power and ability to soar to great elevations. This shows that He who sits on the throne carries out His government and judgements quickly. His will is executed swiftly. He rules with power and is high and lifted up. The eagle also shows God’s protection of His own. “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bare you on eagle’s wings and brought you to Myself.” (Ex.19:4). “Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.”(Ps.17:8). “As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him.”(Deut.32:11,12). Each of these creatures have six wings. Isaiah in his writings (Is.6:2) saw the seraphim which had six wings. Two wings covered their face denoting profound reverence for God. Two wings covered their feet, their lower parts, which denoted great modesty. And two wings with which to fly showing their quickness in executing the command of God. These creatures cry out continually, “Holy, holy, holy—,” meaning separate from all others, completely pure. The first thing John encounters in heaven is the holiness of God which is expected of all who call themselves by His name. “You shall be holy; for I am holy.”(Lev.11:44).Even the twenty-four elders recognize God’s supremeness as they cast their crowns at His feet as though saying, “Our crowns are meaningless, for you alone reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” He is worthy of all our praise and worship. The highest praise that we can offer Him is living lives that represent His holiness, righteousness and purity to a world in rebellion, sin and darkness. John gets his first glimpse of heaven and beholds the total holiness of God and His throne. This sets the stage for John to receive the complete Revelation. He had to fully understand God’s omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience before he could comprehend what he was about to receive, the conclusion of the history of man.

End Time Study--Pt.10

Having finished with our look at the seven churches of Revelation, let's now turn to chapter four of the Book of Revelation. Please read chapter four before continuing on with this study.

John indeed was a highly favored man in that he not only receives the Revelation of Jesus, but that he also gets to see Him in His glory. He receives the revelation of the things that Daniel saw centuries before,i.e., the conclusion of the history of mankind. The Book of Revelation is the continuation and fulfillment of the visions of Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great statue is now down to the base of the statue, that being the feet of clay and iron. John now sees the rest of the king's dream and its fulfillment.

Having received the letters for the seven churches where Jesus is speaking to the believers, John is now ready to literally be transferred into the future to see the end times in which we now live. Before showing John what is to befall the world at the end, Jesus addresses the churches. Before judgement can begin in the world, it first must begin in the church (I Peter 4:17) so that the bride may be not just ready for the tribulation to come but made ready for the appearing of the Bridegroom. The church must be equipped for the Great Tribulation in order to persevere to the end (Matt.24:13). For this purpose Jesus gives John the Revelation of the conclusion of mankind.

After addressing the issues confronting the end-time church. Jesus now gives John his first glimpse of heaven beginning in chapter four of the Revelation. This glimpse of heaven begins with the words, "After these things." After seeing the condition of the churches, John was then permitted to see the future of the churches. He sees a door in heaven (not to heaven) which is the door to the heavenly tabernacle where God sets on His throne. John is addressed by a mighty voice that beckons him to come up to heaven and enter the door. He is then caught up in the Spirit to the very throne of God where "One" sits. Only "One"? where's the triune Godhead?

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! "(Duet.6:4). "I and My Father are one"(John 1o:30). "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost and these three are one" (I John 5:7). The Holy Spirit and the Son are in God, who is but one God. The Holy Spirit and the Son are sent out from God.

I will not elaborate on the trinity or the description of heaven that John saw for to write a thorough exposition of these verses, as well as all the others to be covered in this study, would take volumes. I want to stick to the thesis of this Bible study which is proving that the church will go through the majority of the Great Tribulation and thus equipping the saints to persevere to the end. Though I must elaborate on verse four of chapter four in order for us to understand who is being referred to throughout the Book of Revelation when the twenty-four elders are mentioned.

The twenty-four elders are the representatives of the twelve tribes of Israel (the old covenant) and the twelve apostles (the new covenant). These represent the Old and New Testament saints, those before Christ and those after Him. This concept is represented in the construction of the New Jerusalem. "Also she had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and twelve angels (i.e. "messengers" Rev.1:20) at the gates, and names written of them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev.21:12, parenthesis added). "Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev.21:14). Paul had a revelation of this concept when he wrote that the household of God is, "...Built on the foundation of the apostles (new covenant) and prophets (old covenant), Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone,( this Cornerstone, Jesus, became the Bridge between the Old and New Covenants), in whom the whole building being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you are also being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit"(Eph.2:20-22, parenthesis added). As Paul was referring to the temple of God on earth, he was patterning it after the New Jerusalem, "...Prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev.21:2). As we build our temples (our bodies) upon the teachings of the apostles and prophets with Jesus as the Cornerstone, or to say the chief part or center of our lives, we become the holy temple and dwelling place of God, in the Spirit, on the earth. Because of the significance of the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles they are represented in heaven sitting on thrones, a sign of royalty, and crowns upon their heads, signifying positions of authority.

End Time Study--Pt.9

With our having looked at the seven churches of Revelation, just what will the end-time church look like just prior to the tribulation? It will be like the Ephesian church in that it will have lost its first love. Jesus will no longer have the number one spot in the hearts of the average church attendee. Most of the pulpits will have had lost the true lamp stands (preachers bearing the light of Jesus) and will have the new age ministers of the people-friendly compromise standing in their place ministering their agendas and programs.

The pre-tribulation church will be a compromising church like the church at Pergamos. A church where each of its members will be encouraged to live the life that they feel comfortable with without regard for the demands of the Word of God for holiness. Each will be allowed to formulate their own doctrines and plans of salvation as long as it is loosely supported by scripture. This church will see nothing wrong with sexual immorality or fornication. The church's stance will be that as long as a person doesn't feel any condemnation then the lifestyle in which they are indulging in isn't sin regardless if the scriptures condemn it.

Like the church in Thyatira, the pre-tribulation church will be a corrupt church. Again, sexual immorality is listed in the Thyatira church and sexual immorality will prevail (as it is prevailing right now) in the end-time church. All one must do is read the reports of the fallen ministers world-wide to see the validity of this sin in the church. Also, this end-time church will be allowing false prophets and teachers to fill her pulpits. Many ministers and parishioners alike will be lead astray by false "words" of prophecy. The church toward the beginning of the tribulation will have a strong Jezebel spirit (spirit of manipulation) prevailing in it whether operating in the pulpit or pew it will be a stronghold in the end-time church.

Just as the church in Sardis was near a total spiritual death so will be the pre-tribulation church. Although the church appears to be alive and well on the outside, inside it is spiritually dead. For many of the churches the Spirit has long since departed. The church possesses a form of godliness but it denies the power that transforms and brings spiritual life. Its a church that has become lukewarm and complacent, just like the Laodicean church. She will be blind to her wretched spiritual condition. But once the persecutions and trials begin to afflict the end-time church she will be like the churches of Smyrna and Philidelphia.

The church will become a strong overcoming church. She will be the remnant church that Daniel spoke of when he said that the saints would be doing exploits in the midst of persecution and trials. This church will not compromise the Word. It will not be filled with a spirit of fear but will have a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind (II Tim.1:7), a church flowing in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22,23) and the manifestations of the Spirit (I Cor.12:8-10). It is persecution and tribulation that will purge the church and cause her to become the glorious church without spot or wrinkle, made ready as a chaste bride ready for the Bridegroom to come and take her to His home.

The church cannot be raptured until she has been purged, cleansed and made a virgin, pure and innocent. This is what the tribulation will achieve, it will test and prove the saints for bridal acceptance.

As we look at the church today, as a whole, I believe we can honesty conclude that we are in the last of the last days. Let's get ready to meet our Bridegroom!

End Time Study--Pt.8

Jesus concludes His letters to the churches by addressing His last letter to the church of the Laodiceans, the lukewarm church (Rev.3:14-22). Verses fourteen through twenty-two of chapter three are probably the most used and preached scriptures from the Book of Revelation. To this church Jesus has no cause to commend them. Viewed from the outside this church appeared prosperous and powerful, but Jesus looks at the heart of those in this church.

Jesus begins by accusing them of being neither hot nor cold. As to say that they were neither heathens nor Christians. Neither good or evil. Neither lead away by false doctrine nor thoroughly addicted to that which is true. They were listless and indifferent and seemed to care little whether heathenism or Christianity prevailed. Though they felt little zeal either for the salvation of their own souls or that of others, yet they had such a general conviction of the truth and importance of Christianity that they could not readily give it up. They had become complacent. They had not fallen from belief in Jesus to an icy opposition to Him, nor have they become inflamed with heretical zeal. They were just drifting along spiritually, not being driven by a love for Christ.

We could, without a doubt, write volumes comparing the Laodiceans to the modern church. The end-time church, for the most part, has fallen into such a spiritual stupor that it makes the church of the Laodiceans appear to be ablaze for Jesus. It is as though the church today has found a balance between being a heathen and a Christian. The church has learned how to walk the fence between Christianity and worldliness without falling totally into one or the other. From the outside the church appears prosperous and powerful while all the time it has in reality no resemblance to the true church that Jesus birthed on Calvary's hill. The church today isn't in love with the absolute truths found in God's Word. They are easily lead astray because of their lack of the knowledge of God's Word. It seems that nearly every "Christian" has their own plan of salvation worked out based on "their" understanding of a few scriptures generally out of context. They seem to care less about social trends, whether they are sinful or not, as long as they don't interfere with their lives. As long as they are unencumbered in their pursuit of life they could care less if heathenism or Christianity controls the world around them.

They appear to have no joy in their salvation nor could they care less about the salvation of others. They have a que-sera-sera attitude about spiritual things. They can take them or leave them. Just drifting through life. Just putting in their time with little or no concern about spiritual things. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God and Saviour and that's all that matters to them. They ignore the pleas and the demands for holiness found in God's Word. They plan on getting into eternity with God by pleading ignorance of His Word, just by the skin of their teeth (and we all know that there's no skin on our teeth). Today the church is looking for fire insurance that cost little or nothing at all. We want just enough religion to escape hell with as little requirements as possible. Thus we now have "people friendly" churches full of friendly deceived people racing head long towards a Satan's hell while all the time believing they are saved.

The lukewarm church! No zeal for God! No zeal for lost souls! No fire of the Holy Ghost burning in their hearts! No love for the scriptures! No real love one for the other! Indifferent! Complacent! Spiritually dead! Lukewarm!!

But Jesus says that He wishes that we were either hot or cold. He wishes that the church today would be decided, adopt some part or the other and be in earnest attachment to it. Like the Laodeceans, the church today is too good for hell and yet too evil for heaven. Anything would be better than this condition. Where love is professed, but where it doesn't exist. Where vows have been assumed which are not fulfilled. I believe Jesus is saying here that it is easier to deal with a cold sinner than a lukewarm, insincere hypocrite.

The church today is divided over such issues as abortion, gay marriages, ordaining homosexuals, holiness, righteousness, purity, etc., etc. We even have so called ministers fighting for the myth of separation of church and state by taking legal actions against churches and ministers who get involved in or try to influence the political arena. We claim to be Christians while supporting political candidates and parties that support abortions, gay rights and gay marriages and want to silence the evangelical messages of the truth.

The "church" has become so worldly that it cannot be distinguished from the world. We have lost our savor as the salt of the earth (Matt.5:13). We no longer resemble the church that was established on the Day of Pentecost; that is, one full of fire and power. We have cooled off in our spirits and have accepted the watered down compromised gospel of today. We are, at best, lukewarm.

I truly do believe that God is about to bring judgment to His house (I Peter 4:17-18). It will come in the form of persecutions, trial and temptations. Many in our pulpits, and pews alike, have succumbed to the temptations of lust, perversion and fraud revealing what is in the hearts of those who compromised holiness. As God turns up the fire of His jealous anger toward the church, the treasures of the heart will be revealed. It is much like when bad things happen to good people. Man judges us by our external appearances and attitudes, God judges our hearts. It is when bad things come our way that our hearts are revealed. God allows bad things to come into our lives so that we can see what He sees, our hearts. It would be like someone insulting us, or intimating us, and we become angry and hostile. God allowed this so that we may see what is in our heart. We may think that we have conquered our violent temper but when placed in the right situation we become violently angry. This allows us to see what God wants us to surrender in order for Him to be able to use us for His purposes. If we do not conquer the sin in our hearts then He will spew us out--cast us off.

Lukewarmness (hypocrisy) makes Jesus sick at His stomach. The undedicated, indifferent, uncommitted "Christian" will be cast out of Jesus' presence with great disgust. The end time church is about to undergo an extreme makeover. Once the church has been exposed to the refiners fire and the fuller's soap (Mal.3:2-3) of persecution (God's judgment) then what will remain will be the glorious church without spot or wrinkle. This will be God's way of purging His church. All of this is designed to equip the saints for the Great Tribulation and the great end-time harvest of souls.

The church today thinks that it is spiritually rich and has no need of anything else. No revelation knowledge. No fresh outpourings of the Holy Ghost. No intervention by God. No need to prepare for tribulation because they think they will be raptured prior to the Great Tribulation. And yet, like the Laodicean church, God sees the church today as being "---wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked."(Rev.3:17). The Laodicean church saw themselves as being in a safe state, perfectly sure of final salvation because they had begun well and had laid the right foundation. They rested in what they had already received and seemed to think that once they were in grace that they would remain in grace no matter what. They didn't even realize their own state, but thought that outward prosperity and religious activity was synonymous with spiritual success. Yet, Jesus saw them differently.

He sees the church today as He did the Laodicean church of John's day. The church, for the most part, is wretched, meaning afflicted as slaves--slaves to this world and its mindset. The church thinks like the world and conducts itself as the world conducts its business. We have become so worldly that we don't recognize how far we have fallen from holiness and righteousness. We are miserable in the state that we are in, meaning that we are to be pitied. We don't even realize that the Spirit has departed from most of our churches, which leaves us poor, spiritually. We have become rich, successful and growing and yet we are in spiritual poverty. We are poor in power, righteousness, holiness, purity and influence. All of this because we have become spiritually blind. We are unable to see our miserable condition. We see ourselves as everything the church is to be while Jesus sees us as naked, not clothed in righteousness and purity. Not adorned as a bride for her wedding. And as with the Laodicean church, Jesus counsels the church today,"---to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich---" (spiritually).

May I interject a personal note here? I do not want you to believe that I think that all churches fall into the categories as the seven churches of Revelation. I believe that there are many churches who are still pursuing God and His will for their lives and the life of the church. I believe that there are many ministers who are called and set by God who are right in the center of His will. To these churches and ministers I say, "Bless you! Keep up the good work!" Most of these churches and ministers are in obscurity but God is about to bring them to the forefront.

Jesus is verbalizing here in verse 18, "O fallen and deceived souls, hear Me. Your case is not hopeless. Come back to Me and receive of Me, without cost, without price, faith that shall stand in every trial. Pure. Just like gold that has had the fire applied and the dross removed. A pure religion. A pure relationship with God the Father. A faith that has been tried and tested by fire and approved of by Me. I'll clothe you in the garments of holiness and purity to cover the nakedness of your spiritual poverty. Pray, therefore, that you may receive the enlightening influence of My Spirit that you may be convinced of your true state and see where your help lies."

Jesus stands ready to come to His lukewarm church and revive her. But first He must purge her with fire. He must chasten her for He cannot and will not tolerate self-righteousness. Where we compare ourselves one to the other and not to the Word of God and declare ourselves okay, righteous. He is sick to His stomach of people professing Him and not following Him. Those claiming heaven when the church is probably the closest they will ever get to heaven. Jesus demands honesty. He wants us to look within ourselves and measure our Christianity by His Word. Jesus is raising up a remnant in these last days who are totally dead to themselves and alive in Christ. He is preparing a Bride. He is about to cast off all the religious flirts and come back to marry a Glorious Bride without spot or wrinkle. Those who are zealous and have repented of their lukewarm state (vs.19).

Although verse twenty has often been used as an evangelism tool to win the lost to Jesus, it isn't spoken to sinners but to the lukewarm believers. Jesus is declaring here that He is patiently standing at the door of the lukewarm church--the lukewarm believers heart. He knocks with mercy, grace, reproofs, exhortations and even judgments to encourage "believers" to repent and turn back to Him. He lifts up His voice loud and strong through His Word, His Spirit and His servants, the preachers, beckoning the lukewarm believer to let Him back into his heart.

When we first come to Jesus in repentance He enters our hearts, but once inside He begins to reveal His requirements for the death of the flesh, a life of holiness and our being set apart for His will and glory. This is where we begin to cool off in our "new-born" feeling and leave Jesus standing in the foyer of our lives not wanting Him to roam the rooms of our hearts and lives. Being rejected as Lord of our lives, He departs and begins knocking at the door of our lukewarm hearts desiring to be invited back into our hearts and lives. It's in our hearts where He can manifest Himself, heal our broken relationship with the Father, pardon all our iniquities, commune with us and feed us the Bread of Life.

Jesus concludes this final letter by admonishing the church to rise above the lukewarmness and the complacency that it had fallen into and He would grant it a place in eternity with Himself on His throne. There is but one throne in eternity and Jesus is offering to the worst church of all, the lukewarm church, the reward of sharing it with Himself. This church of complacency. This church with a profession but no experience. This church of lukewarmness. This church of the greatest sin is offered the greatest reward to be heirs and joint heirs to Jesus' throne. Jesus is telling the lukewarm church of the Laodiceans, as well as the end-time complacent church, that just as He overcame this world and the power of the tempter and received a throne in eternity, that those who overcome the same and their lukewarm complacency shall receive the same reward, His throne.

End Time Study--Pt.7

This week we will be looking at the faithful church of Philadelphia (Rev.3:7-13). This letter is to the end-time church that will be found faithful to God and walking in brotherly love. This remnant church will be found walking in the power of God that overcomes this world. God will open doors to this church in order to proclaim and diffuse His word. Even the adversaries of God and the church will not be able to stop this faithful church. Jesus is saying here that He guarantees the faithful end-time church will have ample opportunity to testify of Him. Even though this church will lack political power and may be few in number, ("---for you have little strength---" vs.8),it will still be doing great exploits (Dan.11:32). This church will be obedient to the Word of God and will not deny His name by lifestyles that deny His deity or lordship of their lives.

To the first century Philadelphian church Jesus compares the disingenuous Jews to the synagogue of Satan, those who possessed a profession of faith without possessing the walk of faith. This was the religious Jew not the Jew who knew Jehovah intimately. Jesus tells this church that these hypocrites would soon come to worship with the true church because they would see God's favor on the church. Some of those who would not acknowledge Jesus as Saviour would soon bow the knee to confess Him as Messiah. Because of God's presence, favor and glory being among these christian believers, many would have to admit that this was a true move of God and worthy of acceptance. They would recognize God's love for these followers of Jesus Christ.

The end-time Philadelphian faithful church will experience much of the same things. There will be many who profess to be Christians while all the time they have no relationship with Jesus. It will be those having a form of godliness while dening the power thereof. These will have great pride in their religion and denominations. These are the ones who "---are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness"(Matt.23:27,28). But even many of these will come to worship God with the faithful remnant church.

As the church enters the Great Tribulation and the true christian faith is labeled religiously incorrect, there will be many who will rise up against the true church, most of which will be the religiously correct churches. Just as Jesus and His followers were hated by the religious Jews, so it will be in the last days church. The church will be made out to be a stumbling block to world peace and prosperity. The church will be called hate-mongers, bigots, narrow-minded, haters of peace, etc., (wait, this is already being done). All of the world's woes will be blamed on the true church, there will be an outcry from humanity to silence the church. To kill a christian will be seen as an act of heroism. Just as Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was seen as a hero by the Jewish leadership for his persecution of the followers of Jesus before his conversion, so it will be in the last days. The "christians", along with other religionists, will persecute the true church believing themselves to be doing God's will. The political systems of the world will applaud this attempt to silence the church, or at least they will look the other way while the true church is being persecuted.

Yet in the midst of all this persecution and hatred toward the faithful church there shall come a great harvest of souls. God will be showing great favor to His church and working signs, wonders and miracles through this true church. Because of His glory being beheld (Is.60:1-4), many will come to Jesus for salvation. Many who thought themselves to be a christian but weren't will come into a father-child relationship with Jehovah through Jesus Christ. The church's greatest hour is yet before her.

Verse ten of chapter three pertains to the church going through the Tribulation that shall come upon the world, but Jesus gives the church a promise of His protection. Because the true church has, with patience, kept the words of Jesus, even while enduring trial, testing and persecution, He will give them His strength to persevere to the end. We must understand that the Great Tribulation is designed, among other things, to test and prove the true followers of Jesus. As the end-time events of disasters, earthquakes, famines, persecutions, etc., come upon the world it will be a means by which God will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares. Only those who have their total trust in God will survive. The true character of people will be seen. It will be the strength and faith of the Christians that will cause many to believe. The true follower of Christ will be seen as a pillar of strength while the world is full of chaos. Those who have been taught and believe that the Christians are to be raptured before the Great Tirbulation begins will be among the many that will "fall away" from the faith (II Thes.2:3). They will see Christianity as a hoax, a lie, because they were told that, as Christians, they would not have to endure the Tribulation. Pre-trib rapture implies that the Bride, the church, is better than the Groom, Jesus. She doesn't have to be tested as Jesus was in the wilderness, as well as in the Garden of Gethsemane. She doesn't have to suffer to prove her love for the Groom as Jesus proved His love for the Bride through His suffering. Pre-trib theology suggests that the church is too privileged and spoiled to have to suffer. But when we see the Anti-Christ come to power and the judgement of God begin, only those who have been equipped with the full counsel of God's Word will persevere to the end. These are the ones that will be doing great exploits, signs, miracles and wonders.

All we must do (according to verse 11) is to hold fast to the sound doctrine of God's Word. The Word of God in us and our faith in God is what will cause us to stand as pillars of strength while the world is being shaken by God (Heb.12:25-29). As we overcome this world and the temptation to quit while going through the Tribulation, He will grant us to become as the pillars of the temple. The pillars in the Jewish temple were highly ornamented to give the temple beauty. As overcomers, the saints shall be adorned with robes of righteousness, crowns of life and a new name making them to appear as the pillars of the temple. Part of the priests' garments was a nameplate on their foreheads with "Kodesh-Laihovah" written on it meaning "Holiness unto the Lord." We, as a royal priesthood, shall bare the name "Holiness unto the Lord" upon us as well as "New Jerusalem." This labels the saint as belonging to the Holy One of New Jerusalem. Like the title,"Jesus of Nazareth" or "Joseph of Arimathea," we shall be called by a new name indicating to whom we belong as well as our home, New Jerusalem.

What a reward! By holding fast to the Word of God and persevering to the end, the saint of God shall receive eternity with the Light of the world in a New Jerusalem. "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."(Rom.8:18)

End Time Study--Pt.6

The end-time church that is revealed to us next is the church of Sardis, the dead church (Rev.3:1-6). Sardis is the picture of the church that has maintained its profession without possession and its reputation with no works to support it. It possesses a great tradition but its present task is unfinished. A few faithful souls are in it, to them the Lord comes with a challenge.

As we read verses one through six we find something missing that was given to the churches prior to Sardis --this letter does not start out with pleasantries. This is a dying church and Jesus goes straight to the problem in an attempt to resuscitate it. Along with the church of the Laodiceans, this church receives the most blame brought against it from Jesus. He begins this letter with His accusation against the church. "You have a name that you are alive, but you are dead." He is saying here to the church, "You have the reputation of being Christians and are thought to be alive in Me and spiritual things, but you are spiritually dead. You do not have the life that I give to souls. You have not walked consistantly with Me before man. You have not been steady in your lifestyle of Christlikeness. You have grieved My Spirit and I have withdrawn from you most of My light and power. You're not dead yet, but you are dying."

As I read these scriptures I must ask myself, "Am I more dead than alive, spiritually?" We all should ask ourselves this question in order to examine our relationship with God. I believe it is very easy for us to fall into a state of complacency and not even realize it. We need to make sure that Jesus is in complete control of our lives 24/7. It is easy to claim Jesus as our Saviour and to go through the motions of serving Him while all along we have grieved the Holy Spirit and He has departed. We may have a form of godliness but we deny the power of God that changes lives inside out. Unfortunately, this is the state of the church today, the end-time church.

In most churches today the Holy Spirit is no longer in charge. Man has his programs, plans, agendas and the best of the business minds to run the church. He is so busy having church that he is failing to be the church. Man has lost the power over sin, flesh and the world. He has lost his love for one-another, for the lost and for God and His Word. Man no longer fears God but treats Him as a "Big Sugar Daddy." Man serves God as long as He serves him. Man claims to be alive in Christ while all along he is dead in his treaspasses.

Should we get quiet before the throne of God we just may hear Him crying out to the church today as He did in verse two to the church at Sardis, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die." Jesus is saying to His end-time church, "You have lost ground by carelessness, inattention and complacency. Wake up! And stay awake! Strengthen your convictions and desire for Holy things, your zeal and love for God. These attributes are barely noticeable and are becoming weaker to the point of dying completely." I have often wondered how a born-again person full of His Spirit can be a participant in things that are known to be sinful and yet feel no conviction for his actions. If one is participating in known sin and feels no conviction or remorse then his claim of being a christian would be somewhat questionable. Our works are not "perfect before God," they do not measure up to His standards. Man may view us as being saintly while God looks upon us with disdain.

The church today, as with Sardis, needs to repent at once for departing from our zeal and love for God. If we do not wake up from our complacant slumber then He will come upon us as a theif. Just as a theif comes unexpectantly, so Jesus will come to His church. He will come in judgement and cut us off from His abundant life. He is sounding the alarm through His 5-fold ministers that we must make ourselves ready for His soon return. We will either repent or be cast off and blotted out of His book of life.(Ex.32:32,33;Deut.29:20;Ps.69:28;Ps.109:13;Ps.139:16;Rev.3:5;Rev.22:19). No one can claim ignorance when he stands before God if he has heard the messages delivered by God through His preachers or even if he owns a Bible or has access to the truth but has denied it. Yet, as with the church at Sardis, God will have a holy remnant of people in His church who have not given in to this world. Those who have deliberately chosen holiness as a lifestyle. Those who walk in purity now will receive white raiment to wear for eternity. Only the righteous and pure will have their names remain in the Book of Life (vs.5).

Jesus concludes this letter by giving the church the promise that He will confess the overcomer's name before His Father and angels. He who overcomes this world and its sin shall be represented by Jesus on judgement day, He will be our Advocate(I John2:1). If we have confessed Him before man by living a life that reflects His holy presence while on this earth, then we can rest assured that He will confess us as His own before the Father. But if while professing His name on earth , yet not walking in His holiness and reflecting His image before man, He will deny us before the Father(Luke12:8,9). This is the warning of Jesus to the end-time Sardis church.

End Time Study--Pt.5

The next church in our study of the end times, that is reflected in the church today, is the church of Thyatira, the corrupt church (Rev.2:18-29). Jesus, as with the other letters to the churches, begins by pointing out the commendable things about this church. He acknowledges that they do have a love for God and each other. He lifts them up by referring to their faith in Jesus for salvation resulting in good works such as aiding the poor. They persevered while under persecutions and afflictions and continued in good works. Jesus recognizes that they have not only retained what they had received at first but they also grew in grace, faith and the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Yet with all this good they had issues in their ranks that needed to be addressed; namely, they allowed a woman with a Jezebel spirit, who called herself a prophetess, to teach in their services. This resulted in the people of the church being lead into spiritual adultery and a lackadaisical attitude toward sin.

As the church enters the last of the last days she too will have many good works for which she is to be commended. However, this end-time church shall also have in it a spirit of Jezebel. As Jesus uses the name Jezebel He is referring to a spirit of manipulation. He gives it the name Jezebel because she was the ideal personification of a person controlled by a spirit of manipulation to be found in scripture. So when the name Jezebel is used when referring to someone it means that the person's character is likened to that of Jezebel, a manipulator.

Jezebel was an idol worshipper who induced her weak husband, Ahab, into her idol worship. She manipulated him to establish idol worship throughout his kingdom instead of the worship of the true God Jehovah. The name Jezebel implies one that is highly persuasive, gifted and artful. He is characterized as being determined and firm in the accomplishments of his purpose. One with a Jezebel spirit will even proudly flaunt his power to manipulate. The name here in verse twenty of chapter two is applied to a person who is capable of exerting a wide and persuasive influence over others. He is one who has talents of a high order. One who is a thorough advocate of error. He is unscrupulous in the means by which he employs for accomplishing his end. He has his way at any cost.

This was the condition of the church at Thyatira. There was a woman there who corrupted the true religion and harassed the followers of Christ in that city. And so it is in the end time church. Those under the influence of a Jezebel spirit, a spirit of manipulation (found in both male and female), will rise to positions of power and influence in the church. Whether they be found in the pulpit or the pew, they will corrupt the church. They will replace the gospel with a watered-down compromise version of the truth. They will replace the emphasis of prayer and the leading of the Spirit with programs and the plans of man. They, like Saul of Tarsus before his conversion, will believe themselves to be doing the will of God while all along they are deceived and deceiving others.

This Jezebel of Thyatira went so far as to call herself a prophetess. She actually thought that she was speaking on behalf of God to reveal His plan, purpose, will and design for His people, while all along she was deceived. She was instructing others in an erroneous understanding of Biblical truths. She manipulated the servants of God, His ministers, in order to pervert their religion. She promoted a spirit of the religion of man instead of the true religion of Christ.

The true religion of the Bible has nearly disappeared from our churches in these last days. It has been replaced by the humanistic religion of the world's mindset. The modern religion does not call for repentance. It flaunts its right to determine right from wrong based on man's intelligence, emotions and feelings. There are no absolutes. The Bible is open to whatever interpretation the one reading it determines. Even when in error one will persuade others that they have no right to tell them they are wrong.

This spirit of manipulation is not only in the church today, but it is growing. We have many self-appointed prophets, prophetesses, apostles, teachers, bishops, etc. Our televisions are full of "ministers" with big titles and full of the spirit of Jezebel. I heard one recently call herself Bishop, Apostle, Prophetess, Pastor, Doctor, Reverend so and so. I thought this woman needed a reality check. How could one address an envelope to her, for that BIG donation, when a standard envelope would not be large enough to print her titles on? Plus, how can one person fill all these offices and titles? I believe someone has a pride issue.

I often admonish people that if they are going to seek any of the nine manifestation gifts of the Holy Spirit they should seek the gift of discernment. The followers of Christ need to discern what spirit is speaking when someone is preaching, teaching or giving a word of prophecy, wisdom or knowledge. Many false prophets, teachers, preachers, etc., have been sown into the church, the weeds with the wheat (Matt.13), the goats with the sheep (Matt.25). The only way of not being deceived is by the gift of discernment, knowledge of the scriptures and a father-child relationship with God, through prayer. Remember, there will be a great falling away from the truth in the end times and for this to happen there must be a deception that so resembles the true church that even the very elect may be deceived (Mark 13:22).

But even those who are controlled by the spirit of Jezebel have the mercy and grace of God extended to them. Even the false prophetess of Thyatira, as well as Jezebel of the Old Testament, were given a season of time in which they could repent. With Jezebel of the Old Testament, God sent a prophet to pronounce a severe judgement upon her and Ahab. Ahab showed tokens of repentance so God put off the punishment which also spared Jezebel temporarily. Thus, God gave Jezebel a space of time to repent, but instead of repenting she seduced even her sons into the same sin. She had no remorse for her actions. She was content to continue in her manipulative ways and her relentless attack upon those who stood for truth. She refused to see her wrong and to repent. Her punishment was declared in verses twenty-two and twenty- three. "Indeed I will cast her into a sick bed---I will kill her children." Ahaziah, one of Jezebel's sons, followed his mother's teachings. He fell from a terrace and became bedridden in great pain. Jezebel's other sons, along with her husband Ahab and his seventy sons, were slain by God's hand.

And so it will be to the Thyatira end-time church. God will bring His judgements and expose the spirit of manipulation and the sins of the church. Those who have been lead away from truth by the spirit of manipulation into spiritual adultery will pay a price. For these reason I believe many in the church today are afflicted, diseased, suffering and being tortured in their souls. They have followed the deceived and no longer follow truth. The Lord searches the innermost being and heart of man and He allows punishment to come to those who break His laws of purity. If our hearts are set on Him then we shall receive the rewards of power and the morning star. To those who overcome shall power be given to confute, confound and conquer the false doctrines and the powers of darkness. We become the rod of iron, Jesus' scepter, the instrument He uses for destroying false doctrines, false teachings and false teachers by exposing them.

As end-time overcomers we will destroy, pull down and break to pieces the works of the devil. We will operate in the same power that was given unto Jesus by the Father(Matt.28:18). This power is given only to the overcoming church. The one who will cast out the Jezebel spirit and sin. We then shall receive the Morning Star. Jesus said, "I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star" (Rev.22:16). We get to be with Jesus for eternity. Aren't you glad to be living in the most exciting times for the church---the end times?

End Time Study--Pt.4

Before getting into our study for this week I feel compelled to admonish you to get your finances in order. Our economy is about to implode and only those who have prepared will survive the fallout from the economic storm that is coming.

Now, on to our study of the seven churches of the Book of Revelation. The next example of the end-time church is the church at Pergamos, the compromising church (Rev.2:12-17). This church was surrounded by sin and the powers of darkness. There were temples erected there to honor Zeus, Athena, Dionysas, and Asklepios (the god of healing, called the god of Pergamos). The liberal and laxidaical beliefs of the Nicolaitans flourished there as well. The place was so full of paganism and idol worship that Jesus calls it the place where Satan's throne was and where Satan himself dwelled. Any place where Satan dwells, where sin abounds, where idol worship flourishes, is Satan's throne where he is king.

Does this not describe the world setting in which today's church is existing? The church (the body of Christ) is surrounded by sin and the powers of darkness. Just as it was in the days of Noah so it is in these last days. Violence, evil, wickedness and sin abound worldwide. No place is immune. Mankind, as a whole, has become worshippers of idols. We worship sports, leisure, recreation, pleasure, success, etc., etc.(II Tim.3:1-5). Some have made idols out of their churches, denominations, and even their ministers. We erect temples that glorify man's achievements and programs and call them christian churches. We have in the midst of most churches those who are liberal and laxidaical when it comes to moral issues (Nicolaitans). Truly the church at Pergamos is a picture of the end-time church of today.

Jesus seems to be upset by the fact that the church allowed people to serve in it while they held to the doctrine of Balaam. This was a people, though believing upon Jesus as the Christ, still wanted the things of the world. (To better understand who Balaam was and his "doctrine", read Numbers chapters 22,24,and 31). Being like Balaam means you want to serve God yet you want the pleasures and successes of the world around you. Balaam was influenced by his surroundings. He wanted the honor, fame, wealth and power that had been offered to him. Yet, he feared God. So he devised a plan whereby he could obey God by blessing Israel and yet receive what Balak offered him if he would have cursed Israel. Balak was simply afraid of Israel and wanted them cursed so he and his kingdom would not be destroyed. Balaam, while blessing Israel, gave Balak a plan that would result in God's anger being stirred up against Israel, which would ultimately bring them into subjection to Balak, thus sparing him and his kingdom.

So the doctrine of Balaam is where a preacher or minister in the church attempts to promote the cause of God by using an unholy partnership with the ungodly and the worldly, thus producing in the church a lifestyle of the world through the pleasing of the flesh. It's using worldly means to accomplish godly results. This would be like a church that is built upon the marketing and business plans of the world. It may be large and prosperous but is it holy? Some churches use the world's music, dress, language and Hollywood approach to influence their communities in order to attract them to their churches. This is the doctrine of Balaam. Mingling the world with the church. While society is doing all it can to separate the church from the state, it seems the church is doing all it can to marry the church to the state or, to say, the world. The church seems willing to compromise in the areas of holiness, righteousness and doctrinal purity in order to be people friendly. The message in today's modern church seems to be, "Whatever you deem right for you, do it. After all who am I to tell you that you are wrong or, worse still, committing sin?" This is the mindset of the doctrine of Balaam. You can have your cake and eat it too. You can go to heaven without giving up the world and the lust of the flesh. This the Pergamos end-time church.

Because the church at Pergamos did not take a strong stand against loose morals in the church, worldliness, idolatry and fornication were abundant in the church. There were no restraints to prevent a person from doing their own thing, in or out of the church. Jesus is announcing to this church that He hates anything that allows men to be taught to do their own thing which is what a compromising church does whether directly or indirectly. Jesus knew that when worldly things are allowed in the church they tend to rub off on the saints. Have you ever considered that when a person takes a good shower and puts on brand new clothes then goes outside and rolls in the mud, the mud does not become clean. Just the opposite occurs, the clean person becomes dirty. So it is with the church. It can be full of clean saints but when the mud of worldliness is allowed in, and embraced, the clean becomes defiled (I Cor.5:5-7). This desensitizes the church or dulls its sin conscience. We soon learn to live with sin instead of rebuking it because we are taught not to offend anyone.

The sin found in Pergamos, the end-time church, is that of allowing human understanding and feelings to dictate the standards of the church instead of the Word of God. The Word of God is the plumb line by which everything is to be measured, especially in the church. To this church Jesus says, Turn right now!! I'm coming soon to judge you. I will fight against those who uphold or tolerate the doctrine of humanism in My church that I died for."

The church today, for the most part, is living out the conditions found in the churches of Pergamos. By this we can realize that we truly are in the last of the last days. But the true church will be purged and cleansed from her whoredoms with this world by the Word of God. We shall see a return to purity and boldness to not only declare the absolute truth of God's Word, but also to live it. The churches finest hour is quickly approaching!!!

If you are enjoying this study of the end times, please let us know. E-mail us at bljames1947.yahoo.com or simply add a comment to this blog.

End Time Study--Pt. 3

Let us continue our look at the seven churches of Revelation. The next letter to the churches with its message to the end-time church is written to the church of Smyrna (Rev.2:8-11). This church was in a region that was very hostile toward Christianity. Many martyrs would die here. The majority of the believers here were from the lower classes of people. They were poor by the world's standards but were rich in grace. Christianity held on here better than any where else in Asia. This church is the only church that survived among the seven churches of Asia. They may have been economically poor, and even persecuted, yet they had a strong faith. As it was then, so it is always, when it cost something to serve Him it proves our love for Him and strengthens our faith.

It would appear that today's church is largely prosperious economically, yet it is poor in spirit, holiness and righteousness. But as the church enters a time of persecution, tribulation and judgement, I believe we will see a call for and a return to holiness and a right relationship with God. Peter expressed this mindset in his first letter in chapter four verses sixteen through nineteen which states, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. For the time has come for judgement to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end to those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator." When persecution comes to the church in the U.S., as it has already come in some other nations of the world, will we bring glory to the Lord by our faith or will we dishonor Him by our murmuring and complaining? Rest assured judgement is coming to the church. In fact I believe that it has already begun. God has already begun to expose the hidden sins of the church. It is as though God is drawing an imaginary line in the sand of time to see where the church will stand when sin is exposed. God is allowing ministers and their families to be sifted by the enemy that they may see what He sees--their hearts. Ministers are being exposed as adulterers, fornicators, frauds and thieves, not only that they may have the opportunity to repent and be restored, but also to see how the church will react to the sins of the ministers. Unfortunatly, for the most part, churches are failing miserably. Ministers can stand in their pulpits one Sunday and confess adultery, fraud, divorce, or any other sin, and be right back in their pulpits the next Sunday. The ministers have disregarded what the Bible says about sin and the congregations have lost their sin consciousness.

Many ministers no longer speak out against sin because they want the congregation to be programmed to overlook, or at best, excuse sin so that when the minister's sins are revealed the people will overlook them. The money keeps coming in. The requests for speaking engagements continue pouring in. The numbers increase as people realize that this minister is just "one of the guys;" he is just like them. Everyone is happy! Yet all the while God is grieved as His ministers and His people fail the test of loyalty to God and His Word. Judgement will reveal the phony ministers and the compromising congregations.

We are not only ill-equipped for the suffering of the end times but we have bought into the doctrine that we will be raptured before anything bad begins to happen. The church will go through the majority of the Great Tribulaton, but the true church will at the same time be like the church of Smyrna. It will be full of faith while being persecuted. God is bringing judgement to His church to test us. The hard times that await us will prove our faith. If our faith is in man or the things of this world, it will fail. If we are trusting in religion, denominations, the doctrines of man,the traditions of man or programs of man we will fail. Suffering for Christ is a privilege. If standing up for the gospel's sake brings persecution to us, then so be it. We will not be ashamed of the gospel. After all Jesus has already said here in this letter that the believers will be persecuted, put in prison and go through tribulation, yet if they remain faithful a crown of life awaits them. The church is growing up and maturing through the chastening rod of trials and persecutions that she may be ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. A glorious church refined by fire(ICor.3:9-15).

One other observation in this letter deserves our attention for the subject matter of our study, that being verse ten of chapter two which says, "---and you will have tribulation ten days---." These are prophetic days like the days spoken of in the Book of Daniel. Prophetic days stand for years. With this knowledge we understand that this verse means that the end-time church will endure ten years (ten days) of tribulation. This would imply that the church will begin to experience persecution at an accelerated rate three years before the Great Tribulation even begins. There is coming a time in the very near future when being called a Christian will expose you to excessive abuse. All of this will be setting the stage for the anti-christ to rise to power.

Historically, the churches of Asia suffered grievious affliction for ten years while under the reign of Diocletian. One Hebrew meaning of the number ten is frequency. For a decade the Christians of Asia frequently suffered persecution and abuse. And so it will be with the end-time church. For a decade the true church will suffer persecution and abuse with these ending at the last trumpet of God and the church being gathered in the clouds. Thus we see another Hebrew meaning for the number ten, that being completeness in divine order or fulness of time. God has a plan and He is working His plan. When the fulness of time is complete, according to God's plan and timetable, God will gather the saints of all the ages and then pour out His wrath upon the earth. But if the true church continues in faith and overcomes the trials of this life, she will not only receive a crown of life, she will "not be hurt by the second death," the lake of fire(Rev.20:14,15). Let's be overcomers.

Rescue the Perishing

On Monday, May 31,2010, I received a vision from God that I believe is important enough to warrant interrupting our study of the end times to present it to you. I was awakened at 5:00AM and could not return to sleep. It was at this time that I saw the vision. I saw a young father standing along a street with his family. His six children were lined up beside him with his lovely wife at the end of the line. His children ranged in age from sixteen down to eight years of age. This family appeared to be a clean-cut, church going, normal all-American family except the entire family was nude. As I passed by, the father called to me saying, "Sir, for a dollar you can have sex with one of my children or for ten dollars you can have all of us, including my wife and myself, for one hour for your sexual pleasures. We are starving. We will do anything for food." I then got out of bed and headed for my living room. As I walked down the hall I began to cry and by the time I reached my living room I was crying harder than I have cried in years. I cried this way for over two hours as I prayed unto God for clarity on what I had seen.

I asked God if what I was seeing was real. He put it in my spirit that what I saw was real and that it would soon come to pass. He said that there is coming an economic crash "very soon" accompanied by a great famine. Parents will become so desperate to feed their children and to survive themselves that they will be willing to do anything for food. I said, "Lord, this can't be. What parent would do such a vile thing?" Then I was reminded of some current news stories where parents were trying to sell their children for sex on the Internet. A mother offered her six year old daughter. Another mother offered herself and her ten year old daughter for sex. A teen girl offered her younger sister to a group of boys for money and they raped the younger sister. Parents offer their children for money that they might support their addictions. Child abuse is rampant. Priest abusing young boys is on the rise. Ministers having sex with teenage girls is on the rise. This is becoming "normal." This isn't new. In chapter nineteen of the Book of Genesis we see where Lot was willing to give his two virgin daughters to a lustful gang of sodomites in order to save his male visitors. There seems to be a mindset that children are dispensable. We abandon them in divorce. We father them out of wedlock and walk away. We sacrifice them to this world because we are too busy to give them quality time. And worst of all, we murder them in the womb because they are an inconvenience. So it isn't beyond belief that as the economy crashes and food will be next to impossible to buy, parents will do the unthinkable. Desperate times call for desperate actions.

I was lead to read II Kings 6:24-29 and Rev.6:6. God said that this will soon take place here in the U.S. as well as the rest of the world. Jer.19:9 prophesied that we will become so desperate that we will even eat the flesh of other people. Eze.5:10 and Zec. 11:9 also refer to this being done. God showed me that this will all take place before the Great Tribulation. It will be this economic crash, as well the great famine and upheaval in the world, that will set the stage for the rise of the anti-christ. Man will be ready for a saviour. A man that promises change for the better. Man will do the unthinkable. Desperate times call for desperate actions.

God then began to show me the role of the true church in these desperate times. The church will be experiencing a time of miraculous provision. We are no longer to send out evangelistic teams, but Rescue Teams. We are to rescue the perishing!! God is going to give the true church equipping centers (cities of refuge) where we will equip the saints to go forth and gather the harvest of souls in these last days. We will lead the family I saw in my vision, as well as a great multitude of others, to Christ and then we will bring them in to are "cities of refuge" where we will feed them, clothe them and shelter them. We are to offer them the love of Christ then show them the love of Christ. We will prove to them Phil.4:19 and Matt.6:25-34 by the supernatural supply of God. We will have warehouses full of food and clothes. We will have shelters for all who come to Christ. We may have to acquire a taste for manna and water from a rock, but God will supply every need. Like the widow of Zarephath, our meal and oil (food) will not run out.

Then God spoke something into my heart that goes against all that I had been taught about feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and sheltering the homeless. "We are NOT the world's guardian but its salvation!" The church has for years been pouring monies and work into countries and people that will never accept Jesus as their saviour, while all along we are ignoring those suffering in the shadow of the steeple. We are to meet the needs of the saints first and foremost. While we are giving our time and money to those who will never serve God, those that we are to rescue are perishing. "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces."(Matt.7:6) We need discernment of the Spirit in these last days like never before. The very people we reach out to may be the very ones sent to destroy us. We must be lead by the Spirit as to whom we are to feed, clothe and shelter otherwise we may be using the goods for the body of Christ wastefully. Read Matt.25:34-46. As you read this you will see that Jesus is referring to saints (brethren) when He is speaking of feeding,clothing,etc. We are to take care of our brothers and sisters in Christ that are in need. James 2:15-16 tells us the same thing. In Acts 4 we see where the saints sold everything they had in order to see to it that there were no needs among the saints.

The meaning of this vision is very simply this, we are to rescue the perishing! We are to meet the needs of the saints by storing up food, clothing and preparing shelter. No more church as usual! Any church that does not have God's heart for the perishing in these last days will have His Spirit removed and Icabod written over it. We are to go into the highways and byways and compel whosoever to come to Jesus. If they accept the invitation to receive Jesus as their Saviour, then we are to rescue them not only from hell but from their plight.

End Time Study-Pt. 2

Truly if we are in the last of last days we must look at the church to see if she is prepared for the end-time events. Look at your own church , is it ready for the end-time events and harvest? Is the church at large equipped to answer the world's questions as end-time events are now unfolding? Do we know and understand the seasons and signs of the last days? I believe the seven churches of the Book of Revelation, among other things, are a picture of the end-time churches. This is why the end-time prophetic book begins by describing the churches. Yes, it is true that these were actual church regions in John's day, but they also hold the key to what the end-time church will look like. Most prophecy is given not just for the present time of the prophet, but also for the near and far future, thus it is recorded in our Bibles. If it were just for a one time event then it would not have been recorded for us today, except maybe for an example or historical significance.

We will begin our scriptural look at the end times by examining the churches of Revelation chapters two and three. Followed by dovetailing scriptures from Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation, Matthew and others, in order to bring us into the current knowledge that God is revealing to His church.

Jesus begins His letters to the churches in chapter two verses one through seven with His letter to the church at Ephesus. As in all seven letters, this one is addressed to "the angel of the church." The term angel means the messenger or person sent or set by God to preside over His church. The Greek word used here is equivalent to the Hebrew "Sheliach Tsibbur" which means the messenger of the temple whose duties were to read, pray and teach in the synagogue. Today these letters would be addressed to the Senior Pastor or Minister of the church.

Jesus makes it clear in this verse that it is He who holds the true ministers of His Word in His right hand or, to say, by His power. He walks in the midst of the true churches of Jesus Christ, the candlesticks. Those churches bearing His light are those that He upholds in His right hand, or power. Unfortunately, today many ministers and churches are functioning without the light of Jesus. Many churches have become social bless me clubs while all the time believing that they are the true church. Yet, Ichabod (the Spirit has departed) has not only been written over the church but has labeled its minister. This will be the condition of some churches in the end time.

Some churches in the end times, like the church at Ephesus, will be known for their good works, labor and patience. They will not grow weary in well doing. They will be clothing the naked and feeding the hungry. They will be applauded by their communities for all their good works. They will be known as a church that opposes error in doctrine and never given to compromising the Word of God. They will have the reputation of being a church that will not tolerate evil and wicked people in their midst. They will not drop the standards of holiness. Plus, they will have great knowledge of the Word.

Because of their knowledge of the scriptures they test those claiming to be apostles. They know if the messages spoken are truly from God or merely a fabrication of the one delivering it. If the messengers do not measure up to the Word's requirements for his office and message, he is cast out as a liar. This is a church that rejects worldly music, immodest dress and lifestyles, false doctrine and anything forbidden by scripture. They have all the appearances of a New Testament church.

Like the church of Ephesus in verse three, the end-time church will be known as a church that perseveres through trials, persecutions and continues in good works. They will withstand the attempts of the false teachers to pull them away from the truth. Even though they will be keeping the faith, they will be found guilty of one thing by Jesus; namely, they have lost their first love.

An entire generation had elapsed since the founding of the church at Ephesus. With the passing of the first Ephesian converts came the inevitable cooling of spiritual zeal. The victories that the pioneers had won were taken for granted by the next generation of the church. They remained religious but had become unloving, self-righteous and proud. The church had become void of spiritual life. It did not retain its strong passion and affection for God which is present in a church that is in love with Jesus. But they had quit, forsaken, remitted, let down and lost their first love.

What is first love? It is much like the love between a man and a woman when they realize that they want to spend the rest of their lives together. This is first love. They act upon it and get married. But if they do not build upon their first love experience it will begin to grow cold and stagnate, especially during hard times. So it is with our first love experience with Jesus, our Bridegroom, we come to Him and we fall in love with Him; but if we do not build upon that first love experience, our love will grow cold and stagnate. We may continue going through the motions of being in love. We will testify of our love for Jesus. We will sing the songs of praise and worship. We will do all the things that a good bride is to do and all the while our love has grown cold, complacent and indifferent.

Our first love has another facet about it. When we have a first for anything or anyone it means that they are of the greatest value to us. Nothing else compares. No one else compares. The Ephesians had lost their first love for Jesus. Jesus was no longer their top priority. No matter how religious they appeared they no longer had the relationship with Jesus that they once had. The cares of life and the persecution of the saints had taken their toll. They were losing sight of the soon return of Jesus as decades past. They began to lose their relationship with God., through Jesus, and they did not even realize it.

Does this not happen in the church today? We too have persevered through trials and persecutions and have continued in good works. Yet our relationship with the Father, through Jesus, has turned into a religious lifestyle not the father-child relationship that it once was. The church today has become unloving, self-righteous and proud just like the Ephesian church. We have, for the most part, lost our zeal for spiritual things, holiness, righteousness, fear of God, and a strong passion and desire for a father-child relationship with God. In essence, we have lost our first love for Jesus. He is no longer our top priority. No longer does He occupy the number one spot in our hearts, desires and passions. We love Him for what He can give us or what He can do for us but not for who He is.

If the church is going to endure to the end of the tribulation, she must rediscover her first love experience. We must place supreme value on our relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. We must have our total affections and trust set upon Him. To fall in love all over again with Jesus and to rekindle the passion for His presence will sustain us through every circumstance of life and equip us for His appearing. We then can expect to "eat from the tree of life."(v.7)