Revelation
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write
These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God
and the seven stars
I know thy works
that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Be watchful
and strengthen the things which remain
that are ready to die
for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard
and hold fast,
and repent.
If therefore thou shalt not watch,
I will come on thee as a thief
and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments
and they shall walk with me in white
for they are worthy.
He that overcometh,
the same shall be clothed in white raiment
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life
but I will confess his name before my Father,
and before his angels.
He that hath an ear
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
*******
1798 to 1844
You live and art dead.
If something is said to live but art dead what's it like, I mean in our modern terms? A coma? Those in a coma live but are as if they are dead. How many people slip into a coma and die? Quite a few, right? I suppose it depends on the cause of the coma. Do all coma patients die? No.
God's people, His church, most assuredly suffered many periods of time in which the truth in God was stifled. The outward religious revivals, the zeal of the people mean little when it's a zeal that is misplaced and not genuine, when it is not the truth of God through Jesus Christ. Living yet dead.
...
Be watchful
and strengthen the things which remain
that are ready to die
for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
...
Strengthen the remaining things that are ready to die- die without intervention? Isn't it often the way that weak things are known to die? If God's people don't hold fast through the adversity surrounding them it's easy to grow weak. Imperfection in actions are unacceptable. So much admontion and this isn't something that can be taken lightly. Sabbath keeping- the keeping of God's commandments in full- was not pronounced until the 20th century and yet it steadily grew up out of small groups here and there which held fast to the truth. Strengthening the things which remain, there is a remainder that needs strength.
No, the works aren't perfect and we can't believe God will ever accept anything less than perfection in Christ.
...
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard
and hold fast,
and repent.
If therefore thou shalt not watch,
I will come on thee as a thief
and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
...
Remember! Hold fast! Repent! Watch!
These are things that throughout history God's people have to adhere to. There will never be a time we should no longer remember all that we've been taught and have received of God. There will never be a time we should loosen our grasp on the faith we need in Jesus. There will never be a time we shouldn't repent, and there will never be a time we shouldn't watch for the coming of our Lord and Savior- never. Foolishness some will say, but it's true. We watch and we keep the hope alive, the faith strong in Christ. If we stop watching for Christ we will not be prepared and like a thief sneaking in and stealing away all that is yours without your ever being alerted to their visitation until it's too late and all your goods are gone- Christ will come and salvation will be lost to those who aren't watching for Him.
Remember! Hold fast! Repent! Watch!
...
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments
and they shall walk with me in white
for they are worthy.
He that overcometh,
the same shall be clothed in white raiment
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life
but I will confess his name before my Father,
and before his angels.
He that hath an ear
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
...
Defiled garments are unsuitable, if we're not clothed in the pure white of Christ's righteousness then we are stained by unforgiven sin, unrepented sin and we will not walk with Christ. There are few that remain clothed in Christ's righteousness among God's people, few that are trusting solely in Him and not relying on their own filthy righteousness. Only those who are clothed in white will be worthy in Christ.
God's people who overcome with have white raiment, pure undefiled garments and they will have their names in the book of life- Christ will confess our names before God, before God's angels! We want our names confessed by Christ. We want Him knowing our names, knowing us, knowing that we rely on Him and wait for Him, watching, seeking Him and the gift of His salvation.
May the Lord bless us with His mercy. May we be among those clothed in the pure white of His righteousnss and have our names confesed by Jesus to God and the angels. In His name!
Amen.
Revelation
And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write
These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God
and the seven stars
I know thy works
that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Be watchful
and strengthen the things which remain
that are ready to die
for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard
and hold fast,
and repent.
If therefore thou shalt not watch,
I will come on thee as a thief
and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments
and they shall walk with me in white
for they are worthy.
He that overcometh,
the same shall be clothed in white raiment
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life
but I will confess his name before my Father,
and before his angels.
He that hath an ear
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
*******
1798 to 1844
You live and art dead.
If something is said to live but art dead what's it like, I mean in our modern terms? A coma? Those in a coma live but are as if they are dead. How many people slip into a coma and die? Quite a few, right? I suppose it depends on the cause of the coma. Do all coma patients die? No.
God's people, His church, most assuredly suffered many periods of time in which the truth in God was stifled. The outward religious revivals, the zeal of the people mean little when it's a zeal that is misplaced and not genuine, when it is not the truth of God through Jesus Christ. Living yet dead.
...
Be watchful
and strengthen the things which remain
that are ready to die
for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
...
Strengthen the remaining things that are ready to die- die without intervention? Isn't it often the way that weak things are known to die? If God's people don't hold fast through the adversity surrounding them it's easy to grow weak. Imperfection in actions are unacceptable. So much admontion and this isn't something that can be taken lightly. Sabbath keeping- the keeping of God's commandments in full- was not pronounced until the 20th century and yet it steadily grew up out of small groups here and there which held fast to the truth. Strengthening the things which remain, there is a remainder that needs strength.
No, the works aren't perfect and we can't believe God will ever accept anything less than perfection in Christ.
...
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard
and hold fast,
and repent.
If therefore thou shalt not watch,
I will come on thee as a thief
and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
...
Remember! Hold fast! Repent! Watch!
These are things that throughout history God's people have to adhere to. There will never be a time we should no longer remember all that we've been taught and have received of God. There will never be a time we should loosen our grasp on the faith we need in Jesus. There will never be a time we shouldn't repent, and there will never be a time we shouldn't watch for the coming of our Lord and Savior- never. Foolishness some will say, but it's true. We watch and we keep the hope alive, the faith strong in Christ. If we stop watching for Christ we will not be prepared and like a thief sneaking in and stealing away all that is yours without your ever being alerted to their visitation until it's too late and all your goods are gone- Christ will come and salvation will be lost to those who aren't watching for Him.
Remember! Hold fast! Repent! Watch!
...
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments
and they shall walk with me in white
for they are worthy.
He that overcometh,
the same shall be clothed in white raiment
and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life
but I will confess his name before my Father,
and before his angels.
He that hath an ear
let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
...
Defiled garments are unsuitable, if we're not clothed in the pure white of Christ's righteousness then we are stained by unforgiven sin, unrepented sin and we will not walk with Christ. There are few that remain clothed in Christ's righteousness among God's people, few that are trusting solely in Him and not relying on their own filthy righteousness. Only those who are clothed in white will be worthy in Christ.
God's people who overcome with have white raiment, pure undefiled garments and they will have their names in the book of life- Christ will confess our names before God, before God's angels! We want our names confessed by Christ. We want Him knowing our names, knowing us, knowing that we rely on Him and wait for Him, watching, seeking Him and the gift of His salvation.
May the Lord bless us with His mercy. May we be among those clothed in the pure white of His righteousnss and have our names confesed by Jesus to God and the angels. In His name!
Amen.
9/1/10
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
The definitions of deceitfulness and deceit…
Deceitfulness
DECE'ITFULNESS, n.
1. Tendency to mislead or deceive; as the deceitfulness of sin.
2. The quality of being fraudulent; as the deceitfulness of a man's practices.
3. The disposition to deceive; as, a man's deceitfulness may be habitual.
*
Deceit
DECE'IT,
1. Literally, a catching or ensnaring. Hence, the misleading of a person; the leading of another person to believe what is false, or not to believe what is true, and thus to ensnare him; fraud; fallacy; cheat; any declaration, artifice or practice, which misleads another, or causes him to believe what is false.
My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. Job 27.
2. Stratagem; artifice; device intended to mislead.
They imagine deceits all the day long. Psa 38.
3. In scripture, that which is obtained by guile, fraud or oppression.
Their houses are full of deceit. Jer 5. Zeph. I.
4. In law, any trick, device, craft, collusion, shift, covin, or underhand practice, used to defraud another.
*******
Misleading, catching, ensnaring.
Sin. We think it's so incredibly easy to point out sin and know it for what it is but it's not. Satan the great deceiver takes truth and mixes it with fallacy which no longer makes it pure truth, unadulterated. He corrupts truth just enough to deceive and people EVERYWHERE believe in the corrupted truth. People everywhere believe so much ISN'T sin. Why should they believe sin is sin, because then they'd realize they are leading a life of sin and that isn't something anyone really wants to believe, is it? When we examine our lives by the Lord's word we are allowed to see the sin in our lives. When we seek God with all our heart and soul then we will be allowed to see our truly sinful state. People don't like hearing these words, they like to be lulled and told that nothing matters but what they secretly believe in their hearts, having a good heart, the Lord knows, the Lord understands why I'm the sinner I am and why I can't stop sinning and shouldn't even try. The Lord knows that I love Him.
We love to console ourselves with those thoughts and because they contain an element of truth they are easy to latch onto and forget that our God is a consuming fire, it's easy to forget that we are told to exhort one another DAILY, we believe weekly will suffice, right? It's easy to forget that God gave commandments and Jesus confirmed that those commandments were still in effect, still just, still good, that He didn't come to do away with the law. It's easy to believe that when Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor and that this encompasses the entire law that he meant as long as we SAY we love God and love our neighbors we're doing alright. That's not the truth-that's Satan's lie and it's a good one- good if you are evil. We are told what loving our neighbors means, we are told what the fruits of the Spirit are, we are given ALL the truth, but with Satan ever ready to distort the truth we become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. We don't want to look too closely at our lives or at God's word, we want the superficial salvation and the problem with that is it won't ever reach our hearts. It's better to have all our sin exposed and feel the weight of that sin, the horror of that sin, the despair of that sin and turn our hearts fully and completely to our Savior than it is to allow ourselves to be deceived.
It's amazing how this study of Hebrews seems to have tied in with the excerpt from C.S. Lewis we looked at the other day. God works in such wondrous ways, ways beyond our comprehension.
C.S. Lewis talked about 'excusing sin' rather than 'truly repenting and seeking true forgiveness'. He discussed that what we might actually think is asking for forgiveness is really us just asking to be excused for our actions. What he said holds A LOT of truth. The deceitfulness of sin is just like that.
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
We have to read these words and believe in them or we will be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin… OUR SIN! We aren't hardened by someone else's sin. We have to exhort one another…which means we have to urge one another daily not to depart from the living God, to not depart from the faith. This is what we are called to do. By God's grace alone are we saved, and we must keep God in our lives in all things, repenting, not excusing, enlightened not deceived, truth not lies and deception.
May God open our hearts and minds, our eyes, our understanding to know His will in all things so that we are not deceived. May the blinders satan would have us wear until the day we are fully his, be ripped away and by the Lord's grace and mercy may we in all our filthiness fall at the feet of Jesus in true repentance seek true forgiveness no matter the cost to our comfortable deluded existence.
In our Savior's amazing love!
Amen.
9/1/11
Hold
fast till I come
Rev
2:18 And unto the angel of the
church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes
like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
Jesus!
His eyes like unto a flame of fire! Feet like fine brass! Our Savior garbed
majestically. His eyes burning,, the intensity beyond all we can fully
understand. I know most of us have seen movies with the special effects of a
person having fire in their eyes. Whenever this is depicted it, isn't it done
as a show of power in that person, especially if the person is talking and
otherwise mostly normal as in NOT dying, not being killed.
Fire in the eyes is something extraordinary and even as a prophecy, and
symbolic in prophecy it's an amazing image- Jesus with His eyes filled with
intensity- Jesus with His feet firmly set, His royal standing.
Jesus-
talking to another church- talking to His people then, later, and now.
Rev
2:19 I know thy works, and
charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last
to be more than the first.
This
sounds so amazing doesn't it? Charity, service, faith, patience and works.
Something God's people truly hope to attain in a walk with Jesus Christ, in a
life dedicated to God. Having
works that encompass love (charity), giving (service), belief (faith),
dedication (patience), and deeds (works)- this is a life one can truly be found
living in Christ- yes? But there is mention made of the last being more than the
first-and not in a bad way- this is before Jesus offers His admonition. Keeping ourselves in Christ isn't
always easy. I read something recently and the person said that a sign of
someone not being truly Christ's is their quickly losing their faith and going
back to their old ways. In some ways this is very true, there is even a parable
about it, but in other ways we know how hard Satan attacks those newly born in
Christ. Sometimes attacks can set us back some but not destroy us, not pull us
away completely so that we are able to hold fast. It's no wonder people are to
be commended that do hold fast to their faith fully without ever wavering- such
an amazing gift. These people
however amazing still had something against them…
Rev
2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few
things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth
herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication,
and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev
2:21 And I gave her space to
repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev
2:22 Behold, I will cast her into
a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except
they repent of their deeds.
Rev
2:23 And I will kill her children
with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the
reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
God's
people...suffering one who claims to be something she's not? God's people
allowing a people of false beliefs to teach and seduce those who would truly
follow the one and only true God? God's people holding fast to the worships of
idols living a life that is geared towards worshipping the false gods and not
the true. We're not talking outright worship of Satan, but rather deception,
seduction and you don't seduce with forcefulness. You seduce with subtle
actions. You lure with seduction. A false people whose hearts do not belong to
God but seem to belong, they could lure a true follower away. Those who seduce
will be lost with the seductress, those she considers her children will die
with her. God, the one and only true God knows the reins and the hearts of us
all. We will be given as we work- and the work is a result of our choices. The
choices we make determine our lives and the lives that are not given fully to
God- reins and heart- will have no part in Him. This is fact, all fact and so many don't
want to believe it because it's
not easy to hear. Being seduced and feeling the ease of seduction, the sweetness
of seduction is so much more pleasant and desired than to endure the pain and
heartache, the abuse and trials that not succumbing to seduction can bring.
Rev
2:24 But unto you I say, and unto
the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not
known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
Rev
2:25 But that which ye have
already hold fast till I come.
Rev
2:26 And he that overcometh, and
keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev
2:27 And he shall rule them with
a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even
as I received of my Father.
Rev
2:28 And I will give him the
morning star.
Rev
2:29 He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Hold
fast till Christ comes. The heart fully consecrated to Christ in all- needs to
hold fast, not give up. Admonished to hold fast it's something all God's people
throughout time need to do, those then, those through all the years, those
today.
To
us who do overcome, to us who keep Christ's works up until the end- Christ will
give us power through Him over the nations, we will rule through Him with a rod
of iron and all the earthly, ungodly in the nations will be destroyed utterly-
shattered to pieces. As the Father gave to Christ His Son, we too will receive
from Christ all that He can give to us- even Himself.
May
God bless and keep us in Him! May we not be deceived as the masses who have
been, are, and will be seduce by the evil of Satan. Let us hold fast in Him!
Now and forever by His mercy and His loving grace.
A
bit about the historic time period--
A.D.
538 to A.D. 1798
This
is the 1260 year period spoken of in Dan. 7 and throughout Revelation when
applied to history it's quite understandable. We know all about the seeming
special status of the Catholic church from the year it was set up 538AD and
onward. It's history is quite amazing and not in a very good way. Today we see
the church, and like so many
horrors of the past, we find it hard to imagine those horrors truly existed
simply because we have our supposed humane treatment going on today. I say
supposed because there are still many places upon earth that have atrocities
occurring that boggle the mind entirely. The Catholic church holds a special
distinction for being a huge organized religious body that instituted the
inquisition. Tortures unspeakable thrust upon people because they opposed the
church. Opposing the church was unthinkable. And until 1798 that church held a
distinct power in religion and political aspects. Today we know the Catholic
church to be mainly something of a good thing- the Pope a good man desiring
peace, Catholic charities that help millions of people. Yes, it's had its fair
share of scandal in the more recent years but even with that scandal the church
and the power it wields is only growing. More and more world leaders of various
countries are looking for an alliance with the Papacy, sending ambassadors,
making very special visits to the 'Holy Father'. This force is truly astounding
and we look at these verses here and how can we not agree that God's true
people- His people- not those who are caught up in idolatry holding fast to
beliefs and doctrines that aren't God's but so close to the true the counterfeit
is accepted for the real thing; how can we not agree that God's people are
few?
We
must hold fast. We must not give in- no matter the cost. Compared to eternity
what do things of earth- what do earthly gains, earthly treasures really mean?
Anything that can be destroyed- riches of all kinds- are but dust compared to
the treasure of eternity in Christ.
By
His amazing grace may we be HIS now and always!
Amen.
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
The definitions of deceitfulness and deceit…
Deceitfulness
DECE'ITFULNESS, n.
1. Tendency to mislead or deceive; as the deceitfulness of sin.
2. The quality of being fraudulent; as the deceitfulness of a man's practices.
3. The disposition to deceive; as, a man's deceitfulness may be habitual.
*
Deceit
DECE'IT,
1. Literally, a catching or ensnaring. Hence, the misleading of a person; the leading of another person to believe what is false, or not to believe what is true, and thus to ensnare him; fraud; fallacy; cheat; any declaration, artifice or practice, which misleads another, or causes him to believe what is false.
My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit. Job 27.
2. Stratagem; artifice; device intended to mislead.
They imagine deceits all the day long. Psa 38.
3. In scripture, that which is obtained by guile, fraud or oppression.
Their houses are full of deceit. Jer 5. Zeph. I.
4. In law, any trick, device, craft, collusion, shift, covin, or underhand practice, used to defraud another.
*******
Misleading, catching, ensnaring.
Sin. We think it's so incredibly easy to point out sin and know it for what it is but it's not. Satan the great deceiver takes truth and mixes it with fallacy which no longer makes it pure truth, unadulterated. He corrupts truth just enough to deceive and people EVERYWHERE believe in the corrupted truth. People everywhere believe so much ISN'T sin. Why should they believe sin is sin, because then they'd realize they are leading a life of sin and that isn't something anyone really wants to believe, is it? When we examine our lives by the Lord's word we are allowed to see the sin in our lives. When we seek God with all our heart and soul then we will be allowed to see our truly sinful state. People don't like hearing these words, they like to be lulled and told that nothing matters but what they secretly believe in their hearts, having a good heart, the Lord knows, the Lord understands why I'm the sinner I am and why I can't stop sinning and shouldn't even try. The Lord knows that I love Him.
We love to console ourselves with those thoughts and because they contain an element of truth they are easy to latch onto and forget that our God is a consuming fire, it's easy to forget that we are told to exhort one another DAILY, we believe weekly will suffice, right? It's easy to forget that God gave commandments and Jesus confirmed that those commandments were still in effect, still just, still good, that He didn't come to do away with the law. It's easy to believe that when Jesus said to love God and love your neighbor and that this encompasses the entire law that he meant as long as we SAY we love God and love our neighbors we're doing alright. That's not the truth-that's Satan's lie and it's a good one- good if you are evil. We are told what loving our neighbors means, we are told what the fruits of the Spirit are, we are given ALL the truth, but with Satan ever ready to distort the truth we become hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. We don't want to look too closely at our lives or at God's word, we want the superficial salvation and the problem with that is it won't ever reach our hearts. It's better to have all our sin exposed and feel the weight of that sin, the horror of that sin, the despair of that sin and turn our hearts fully and completely to our Savior than it is to allow ourselves to be deceived.
It's amazing how this study of Hebrews seems to have tied in with the excerpt from C.S. Lewis we looked at the other day. God works in such wondrous ways, ways beyond our comprehension.
C.S. Lewis talked about 'excusing sin' rather than 'truly repenting and seeking true forgiveness'. He discussed that what we might actually think is asking for forgiveness is really us just asking to be excused for our actions. What he said holds A LOT of truth. The deceitfulness of sin is just like that.
Heb 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
Heb 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
We have to read these words and believe in them or we will be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin… OUR SIN! We aren't hardened by someone else's sin. We have to exhort one another…which means we have to urge one another daily not to depart from the living God, to not depart from the faith. This is what we are called to do. By God's grace alone are we saved, and we must keep God in our lives in all things, repenting, not excusing, enlightened not deceived, truth not lies and deception.
May God open our hearts and minds, our eyes, our understanding to know His will in all things so that we are not deceived. May the blinders satan would have us wear until the day we are fully his, be ripped away and by the Lord's grace and mercy may we in all our filthiness fall at the feet of Jesus in true repentance seek true forgiveness no matter the cost to our comfortable deluded existence.
In our Savior's amazing love!
Amen.
9/1/11
Hold
fast till I come
Rev
2:18 And unto the angel of the
church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes
like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
Jesus!
His eyes like unto a flame of fire! Feet like fine brass! Our Savior garbed
majestically. His eyes burning,, the intensity beyond all we can fully
understand. I know most of us have seen movies with the special effects of a
person having fire in their eyes. Whenever this is depicted it, isn't it done
as a show of power in that person, especially if the person is talking and
otherwise mostly normal as in NOT dying, not being killed.
Fire in the eyes is something extraordinary and even as a prophecy, and
symbolic in prophecy it's an amazing image- Jesus with His eyes filled with
intensity- Jesus with His feet firmly set, His royal standing.
Jesus-
talking to another church- talking to His people then, later, and now.
Rev
2:19 I know thy works, and
charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last
to be more than the first.
This
sounds so amazing doesn't it? Charity, service, faith, patience and works.
Something God's people truly hope to attain in a walk with Jesus Christ, in a
life dedicated to God. Having
works that encompass love (charity), giving (service), belief (faith),
dedication (patience), and deeds (works)- this is a life one can truly be found
living in Christ- yes? But there is mention made of the last being more than the
first-and not in a bad way- this is before Jesus offers His admonition. Keeping ourselves in Christ isn't
always easy. I read something recently and the person said that a sign of
someone not being truly Christ's is their quickly losing their faith and going
back to their old ways. In some ways this is very true, there is even a parable
about it, but in other ways we know how hard Satan attacks those newly born in
Christ. Sometimes attacks can set us back some but not destroy us, not pull us
away completely so that we are able to hold fast. It's no wonder people are to
be commended that do hold fast to their faith fully without ever wavering- such
an amazing gift. These people
however amazing still had something against them…
Rev
2:20 Notwithstanding I have a few
things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth
herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication,
and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
Rev
2:21 And I gave her space to
repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev
2:22 Behold, I will cast her into
a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except
they repent of their deeds.
Rev
2:23 And I will kill her children
with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the
reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
God's
people...suffering one who claims to be something she's not? God's people
allowing a people of false beliefs to teach and seduce those who would truly
follow the one and only true God? God's people holding fast to the worships of
idols living a life that is geared towards worshipping the false gods and not
the true. We're not talking outright worship of Satan, but rather deception,
seduction and you don't seduce with forcefulness. You seduce with subtle
actions. You lure with seduction. A false people whose hearts do not belong to
God but seem to belong, they could lure a true follower away. Those who seduce
will be lost with the seductress, those she considers her children will die
with her. God, the one and only true God knows the reins and the hearts of us
all. We will be given as we work- and the work is a result of our choices. The
choices we make determine our lives and the lives that are not given fully to
God- reins and heart- will have no part in Him. This is fact, all fact and so many don't
want to believe it because it's
not easy to hear. Being seduced and feeling the ease of seduction, the sweetness
of seduction is so much more pleasant and desired than to endure the pain and
heartache, the abuse and trials that not succumbing to seduction can bring.
Rev
2:24 But unto you I say, and unto
the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not
known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
Rev
2:25 But that which ye have
already hold fast till I come.
Rev
2:26 And he that overcometh, and
keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev
2:27 And he shall rule them with
a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even
as I received of my Father.
Rev
2:28 And I will give him the
morning star.
Rev
2:29 He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Hold
fast till Christ comes. The heart fully consecrated to Christ in all- needs to
hold fast, not give up. Admonished to hold fast it's something all God's people
throughout time need to do, those then, those through all the years, those
today.
To
us who do overcome, to us who keep Christ's works up until the end- Christ will
give us power through Him over the nations, we will rule through Him with a rod
of iron and all the earthly, ungodly in the nations will be destroyed utterly-
shattered to pieces. As the Father gave to Christ His Son, we too will receive
from Christ all that He can give to us- even Himself.
May
God bless and keep us in Him! May we not be deceived as the masses who have
been, are, and will be seduce by the evil of Satan. Let us hold fast in Him!
Now and forever by His mercy and His loving grace.
A
bit about the historic time period--
A.D.
538 to A.D. 1798
This
is the 1260 year period spoken of in Dan. 7 and throughout Revelation when
applied to history it's quite understandable. We know all about the seeming
special status of the Catholic church from the year it was set up 538AD and
onward. It's history is quite amazing and not in a very good way. Today we see
the church, and like so many
horrors of the past, we find it hard to imagine those horrors truly existed
simply because we have our supposed humane treatment going on today. I say
supposed because there are still many places upon earth that have atrocities
occurring that boggle the mind entirely. The Catholic church holds a special
distinction for being a huge organized religious body that instituted the
inquisition. Tortures unspeakable thrust upon people because they opposed the
church. Opposing the church was unthinkable. And until 1798 that church held a
distinct power in religion and political aspects. Today we know the Catholic
church to be mainly something of a good thing- the Pope a good man desiring
peace, Catholic charities that help millions of people. Yes, it's had its fair
share of scandal in the more recent years but even with that scandal the church
and the power it wields is only growing. More and more world leaders of various
countries are looking for an alliance with the Papacy, sending ambassadors,
making very special visits to the 'Holy Father'. This force is truly astounding
and we look at these verses here and how can we not agree that God's true
people- His people- not those who are caught up in idolatry holding fast to
beliefs and doctrines that aren't God's but so close to the true the counterfeit
is accepted for the real thing; how can we not agree that God's people are
few?
We
must hold fast. We must not give in- no matter the cost. Compared to eternity
what do things of earth- what do earthly gains, earthly treasures really mean?
Anything that can be destroyed- riches of all kinds- are but dust compared to
the treasure of eternity in Christ.
By
His amazing grace may we be HIS now and always!
Amen.