Steps to Life

Prophecy Seminar

Session 12: Counsels to the Churches

We began our study of Revelation with chapters 12 and 13 because these prophecies expanded on the prophecies we first studied in the book of Daniel. But now we are going to go back to the first part of Revelation, where God gave certain messages to His people.

John was on the island of Patmos when he was taken off in vision and instructed by the Lord. The appearance of the Lord, as with the other appearances in Revelation, was in symbolic form:

Revelation 1:12 "Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. 14 His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; 15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. 17 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.’ "

Jesus was shown walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands of the sanctuary, holding seven stars in His right hand. What do these things mean?

Revelation 1:20 "The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches."

The word angel is from the Greek word angelos, which means messenger. The Amplified New Testament translates this verse, "The seven stars are messengers of the seven assemblies." The Living Bible renders it, "The seven stars are the leaders of the seven churches." The seven lampstands represent God’s people who are His representatives. God intends His people to be the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Before the close of His earthly ministry, Jesus established His church, which He commissioned to carry on the work He had begun.

Matthew 16:13 "When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ 14 So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ 15 He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ 17 Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do men say that I am?" They then gave the various opinions of the people of His day. The people thought He was many things, but no one said that He was the Son of God. Now, after asking who other people thought He was, Jesus next asked them who they thought He was. Peter, answering for the twelve, said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

Jesus blessed Peter for making this statement, because he had not received it from popular opinion but had learned it from the Father. Jesus said that this was the principle upon which He was going to build His church on earth. His church was not to be built upon human traditions and the sayings of men, but upon the Word of God.

Jesus next said, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." The name Peter means a rolling stone. Jesus was not suggesting that Peter was the foundation of the church or that the gates of Hades would never prevail against him. In fact, it was Peter who later denied His Lord. But rather, the truth that Peter expressed was the great foundation upon which the church was built. The church is built upon Jesus Christ, the Rock of ages.

Paul says, "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 3:11). As we compare scripture with scripture, there is not a single verse of the Bible that suggests that Peter is the Rock, but in every in- stance, Jesus is called the Rock. Jesus said that His church would be built upon faith in Him and that the gates of Hades would never prevail against it. The church may be persecuted, it may have to flee to the wilderness, it may be hidden from the sight of men, but God will preserve it.

And within its possession, God entrusts the keys of eternal life, which is the knowledge of the truth. Paul said, "God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth." II Thessalonians 2:13. And to those who have accepted the gospel and are preparing for heaven Peter says, "so your faith and hope are in God since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth." I Peter 1:21, 22.

Ephesians 1:13 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise."

The church is commissioned to preserve the truth of God as it is in Christ Jesus and to proclaim this truth to the world for the salvation of men. As the church proclaims this truth, men will be saved. Should it withhold this truth, men will perish. Jesus "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 4:2). It is the church that God has commissioned to take the saving light of truth to the world.

Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He commissioned His church to take the gospel to all people in all the world.

Matthew 28:18 "Then Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen."

At times God’s church has faithfully performed her duties. At other times she has apostatized. But in every age God has had a remnant of people through whom He has preserved His truth. In Revelation chapters 2 and 3 God counsels His church down through the ages.

There are seven churches mentioned:

Revelation 1:10 "I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, 11 saying, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,’ and, ‘What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."

These seven churches were actual churches in what is today the country of Turkey. Turkey was then called "Asia." The messages to these churches, however, are applicable to churches other than just the local memberships of these seven congregations. Revelation is a symbolic book and these seven churches represent seven great eras of Christianity. Revelation pictures seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven churches. Each group of seven pictures a succession of events.

We can know for sure that the messages to the seven churches are also for the Christian churches in later times after John wrote the book, and not just for those seven local congregations in Asia minor because of this explicit command from Jesus to John when telling him to write the messages to the seven churches:

Revelation 1:19 "Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this."

Let us begin with God’s message to the first church.

Ephesus

Revelation 2:1 "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.’ "

At the beginning of each message God introduces Himself, depicting that part of His Lordship that the church He is writing to needs to know most. Here He is called the one who "holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands."

The church of Ephesus represented the church during the apostolic era. The early church worked hard. Before Paul’s death, just thirty years after the crucifixion of Jesus, Paul said that "the gospel" had been "preached to every creature under heaven" (Colossians 1:23). They had great preachers and great missionaries in their midst. In the apostolic church at Corinth, church members got into disputes as to who was the greatest of the apostles—Peter, Paul, or Apollos. Some claimed to be followers of one, some of another. But Paul reminded them that none of them were anything other than messengers of the Lord. It was God who was working through the messengers. It was God who held the seven stars, or messengers, in His right hand. "For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:4–6).

So the first thing that Jesus reminded the Ephesus, or apostolic, church of was that it was He who held their ministers in His right hand, and it was He who walked in the midst of their churches.

Revelation 2:2 "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary."

Jesus acknowledged their work and He acknowledged the commendable fact that they did not allow false teachers in their midst. God wants us to be loving to all men, but He is not pleased when His church permits false doctrines and false practices to come into its midst.

Revelation 2:4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent."

The essence of the gospel is "love." The church is to emulate the character of God, who loved the world so much that "He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). the apostolic church had a lot of good works, but somehow they lost that heart love. They may have even known the apostles themselves, but Jesus said unless they were reconverted, He would remove their church out of the way and raise up another one.

Some may think that antiquity is the most important quality of a church. Others may think that great people in its past make it secure. History, creeds, and legacies are trusted in as securing the welfare of an organization. The apostolic church could count the twelve apostles as its charter members, and yet Christ said that if they were not reconverted and regain their first love, He would remove their church from its place.

Revelation 2:6 "But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God."

The Nicolaitans, it appears, preached "the liberty of the gospel."—Dictionary of the Bible, by Hastings, Selbie, et. al. New York, 1914, p. 655. They taught that by "believing we are released from the necessity of being doers of the Word."—Signs of the Times, January 2, 1912. Evidently they taught that the keeping of the law was unimportant—all that was necessary was to "accept" Jesus. It was possibly to counteract their influence on the early church that John wrote the following: "He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (I John 2:4).

God says, "I hate that doctrine." And it was to the credit of the early church that they also hated it. Nevertheless, even this would not save them, unless they repented and regained the first-love relationship with Jesus Christ.

Dear friend, it doesn’t matter how much truth you know, or how much work for the Lord you do, or how many sacrifices for Him you make—if you have lost that love-relationship with Him, your works will not help you. God said He knew all about the works of the Ephesus church, and He appreciated that, but they were unconverted.

Smyrna

The next church covers the centuries immediately following the apostolic period.

Revelation 2:8 "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write, ‘These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life: 9 I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich); and I know the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.’ "

During the second and third centuries after Christ, the church suffered many persecutions from the Romans. The church had not yet "fled to the wilderness," where she was to hide for 1260 years, but the persecution was mounting. There were ten prophetic days (literal years) of persecution toward the close of the period that marked the Smyrna church period. In A.D. 303 Diocletian, the Roman Emperor, issued a decree banning the practice of Christianity throughout the empire. Various methods of torture were used to try to force people to reject Christianity. This period of persecution ended when Constantine became emperor in A.D. 313.

God had nothing bad to say to this church, merely encouragement. He tells them to "remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of live."

Pergamos

The church of Pergamos pictured a new era in the church.

Revelation 2:14 "But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality."

In the Old Testament, Balak induced one of God’s ministers, Balaam, to join him in order that his army might be benefited. So it was that Constantine became a Christian, it appears, in order to strengthen his army. Seeing that Christianity was continually gaining ground, he declared himself a Christian and marched his army through a river, thus declaring them baptized and giving them the name of Christians.

The church could withstand persecution, but here was a new danger that was more threatening—carnal peace at the expense of truth.

Revelation 2:15 "Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. 16 Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth."

This church of Pergamos had just the opposite characteristics of Ephesus. The church of Ephesus was not converted, but they did maintain a pure doctrine. They did not tolerate false teachers. They hated the Nicolaitans and did not permit them in their midst. But worldly recognition proved a snare to the purity of the church of Pergamos. The church now began to meddle with politics. It became fashionable to be a Christian, and the church began to slide toward the apostasy of the Dark Ages.

Thyatira

Thyatira represents the church of the Dark Ages. Now the Bible no longer pictures a Balak who has induced some of the leaders of the church to apostatize for worldly honor, but rather it has a Jezebel at the very heart of the church.

1 Kings 18:4 "For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord. . . . 19 ‘Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.’ "

Jezebel, the queen of Israel, killed the prophets of God and supplanted them with false teachers, supported by the state. So, with the church of Thyatira, it was no longer the pagans who were killing the Christians, but someone had assumed the leadership of Christianity who was himself persecuting the people of God and supporting teachers of apostasy, even with state money. This was an apt description of the church during the Dark Ages.

Yet, throughout the Dark Ages, there were those faithful members and church leaders who were searching for truth and who were saddened by the apostasy of Christianity.

Revelation 2:24 "But to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they call them, I will put on you no other burden. 25 But hold fast what you have till I come."

God did not expect as much of the Christians during the Dark Ages as He does of us. They didn’t have ready access to the Bible, and gospel preaching was outlawed. God’s expectations are based upon opportunity. It is not good enough for any of us to say, "Well, my parents and grandparents did things in such and such a way, and they were good Christians, so it must be all right for me to do it that way also." Each of us is held accountable according to our opportunities.

In the last days, just before Christ comes, God promises that the everlasting gospel, which was largely hidden and obscured during the Dark Ages, will again be proclaimed to the world.

Revelation 14:6 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth — 7 saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’ "

The message to the church of Thyatira takes us up to the Protestant Reformation.

Revelation 2:26 "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations."

Sardis

The Protestant Reformation had a good beginning, but soon it almost died out. The second generation of the Protestants were world-loving, political, and they were satisfied with the reforms their Protestant founders had accomplished. After Luther died, the Lutherans made little more progress in theological reform—in fact, in many areas, they seemed to regress. By the time the Wesley brothers came along in England, they found the Church of England, as with most Protestant churches, to be formal, dead, and worldly. The king of England was the head of the church, merely because of his position as king. The English nation repressed any new theological progress or spiritual reformation.

This church prided themselves because they were "Protestant." They had rejected the errors of what they called "popery." But what does the Bible say about them?

Revelation 3:1 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: I know your works that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.’ "

Philadelphia

Philadelphia means the church of brotherly love. After two hundred years of backsliding by the Protestant churches, God raised up some new reformers to bring people back to bible sanctification. There was Whitfield, John and Charles Wesley, Baxter, Joseph Wolfe, William Miller, Newton, and others. The Methodists sent out their circuit riders, and the Baptists their lay leaders, to convert the world. Mission societies were established to send missionaries out to all parts of the world—especially to the continents of Africa and Asia. The British, American, and New York Bible Societies were started in order to translate the Bible into all the languages of the world, and to make it available to everyone. Such organizations as the prayer meeting and evangelistic meetings came into being. Truly, a new spirit was taking control of God’s people.

Revelation 3:7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens: 8 I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.’ "

This was the missionary church. God set before them an open door and no one could shut it. It might be noted that this is only one of two churches of whom the Lord did not have a needed reproof to give.

Revelation 3:12 "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Laodicea

Now we come to the last church, which represents those living right before Jesus comes. Contrary to the Philadelphian church, of whom Jesus had nothing bad to say, Jesus has not one good thing to say about this church. This church represents the Christianity that will be existing right before Jesus comes again.

Revelation 3:14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.’ "

The Bible consistently pictures the Christian church in the last days as full of self-assurance but totally deluded. Speaking of the Christians who will be alive when Jesus comes, He said:

Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ "

These Christians think they are righteous. Some of them have what they believe to be gifts of the Holy Spirit. They make great professions of faith. They claim to be saved. But Jesus says He doesn’t claim them because they practice lawlessness as the Nicolaitans did. Somehow the gospel has become a formality rather than a living experience.

Notice what Jesus calls Himself in the introduction to this church.

Revelation 3:14 "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God.’ "

Jesus is the "Amen," for He is soon to close the history of this world.

Revelation 22:20 "He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

Not only is He called the "Amen," but He is the "Faithful and True Witness." He is the One who is going to judge the world in righteousness before His second coming.

Acts 17:31 "Because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

We noticed a while ago in the verses from Matthew 7 that God’s judgment of us is not always the same as our judgment of ourselves. The church of Laodicea thought "I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," but Jesus’ assessment of them was that they were "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked."

Let us make sure that we don’t try to figure out what is right and wrong, but let the Bible determine that for us. Let us make sure we don’t seek to evaluate ourselves, but allow the Word of God to reveal our true character. Paul says He used to think he was pretty good until something revealed his true character.

Romans 7:7 "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet.’ . . . 9 I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died."

There is another name that Christ is called in the message to the Laodiceans. He is called "The Beginning of the creation of God." Jesus is the Creator, and the memorial of that creation is the seventh-day Sabbath.

Exodus 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."

In the last days, God is going to bring His true people back to the keeping of His commandments. That is why His followers are always identified in Revelation as those who "keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus" (see Revelation 12:17; 14:12).

Isaiah describes a people who "will build the old waste places," and who will be called the "Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In." That is, they will be called this IF they do something that is found in the next verse:

Isaiah 58:12 "Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. 13 If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words."

Thus, in the last days, Jesus presents Himself to His church as the One who is coming again soon, and as the One who will be their righteous Judge, and as One who is calling them back to the keeping of the Sabbath, the memorial of Creation.

While the last church believes itself to be spiritually prosperous, wealthy, and in need of nothing; Jesus is pictured as standing outside the door knocking to get in. Jesus loves this church. He loves everyone within it. He wants to save each one. But we have to open the door.

Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Tonight, will you open the door and let Him come into your heart? Will you let Him write His law on your heart so that you might receive the seal of God? If you will allow Him to make you an overcomer, He will grant you to sit on His throne, even as He sat down with His Father on His throne.

God is looking for some people that He can depend on. He wants to give you the gift of eternal life. Jesus has a crown waiting for you but the crown is only given to the overcomer. To each church, the overcomer is promised an eternal blessing. The true Christian does not just make a profession—he lives according to his profession. He overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil (I John 2:15–17; 4:4,5; 5:4,5; James 4:6–10). He does not just believe the law of God, he actually keeps the commandments; he does not just give a mental assent to Jesus as the Lord of His life, but actually follows the teachings and life-example of Jesus day by day.

Every true (real) Christian will be saved. The tragedy of the last days is that a great number of people will make a profession of Christianity; but because they do not purify themselves by obedience to the truth, they will still be lost (I Peter 1:22; I John 3:3). Don’t let it happen to you. Ask Jesus in prayer to keep you from a merely external profession of faith that does not change the way you live.

Next week-end we will not only be studying what Bible prophecy has to say about the mystery of death and hell, but we will also look at the 1,000 year prophecy in Revelation that is soon to begin. We will also see next week-end the exact time when the judgment of God on this world is to begin.

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Last Updated: 06/18/03