Today we finish the study on the seven churches. Rev.3 and verse 1 reads.
Rev.3:1] And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
This church Sardis could be a number of churches today, Jesus said they think they are saved but are spiritually dead. Let’s find out why.
Rev.3:2] Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Telling them to be watchmen, they are not being taught the truth, maybe a verse here or there and taken out of context. 1Pet.4:17 teaches us that judgement begins at the pulpit. Jesus is telling them their “Works” are not perfect. We’ll come back to these “Works” in a minute.
Rev.3:3] Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
How is it that Christ will come on any of us at an hour we do not know? Simple, the antichrist comes at the sixth trump and the true Christ comes at the seventh trump. They will be worshipping Satan thinking he is Jesus, thus at an hour they do not know. This church’s watchmen are asleep.
Rev.3:4] Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Not all that are in this congregation will worship the antichrist. They have good works and they will overcome. They love the Lord and will not follow the church in the end.
Rev.3:5] He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Let’s skip ahead and see what these white raiments mean. Rev.19 and verse 7 reads.
Rev.19:7] Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.
[8] And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Our works make up our white raiment, they are the righteousness works of the saints. This church most likely taught the rapture theory and at the sixth trump those that heard the truth will repent. This is our job as God’s elect, to teach truth to the believers. Back to Rev.3 and verse 6 reads.
Rev.3:6] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The Lord is opening our eyes and ears to his truth, and it begins with the churches.
Rev.3:7] And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
This is very important to understand, obviously speaking of Jesus Christ, only he is Holy and without blemish. He is the Truth, The Word of God, but what is this Key of David? We keep reading and it says he that openeth, these are our eyes and ears. And he that shutteth, these also are our eyes and ears. That’s right, he can open or he can close our eyes and ears to his Truth. As we will see, this means who are the children of God and who are the children of that wicked one. Talking about who are the Kenites, the offspring of Cain, the Serpent’s seed.
Rev.3:8] I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
This open door is the truth of God’s word. Notice we have a little of his strength. A little of his strength is more than we need against any man. We have kept his word (his commandments) and call ourselves by his name Christians, and proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God. We are still talking about the church of Philadelphia here, one of only two churches Jesus didn’t have a problem with.
Rev.3:9] Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
First, they are at our feet because all knees will bow at the coming of the LORD, and they are behind us, not worshipping us but the Lord. Now let’s not overlook this synagogue of Satan. These are the Kenites who are the false teachers in our churches today. I want to go back to the Old Testament, 1Chron.2 and read verse 55.
1Chron.2:55] And the families of the scribes which dwelt at Jabez; the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and Suchathites. These are the Kenites that came of Hemath, the father of the house of Rechab.
Showing us here that the Kenites (the offspring of Cain) began messing around with God’s word long ago. Jesus taught us about the “Tares” in Mat.13, you should find time to restudy that chapter. But Jesus also talked directly to them in John 8, let’s begin with verse 40 and it reads.
John 8:40] But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
[41] Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
Notice the uppercase and lowercase of father throughout this conversation.
John 8:42] Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
[43] Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Remember when Jesus said “openeth and shutteth”.
John 8:44] Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Cain was the first murderer, and these are the Kenites, his offspring.
John 8:45] And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
[46] Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
[47] He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.
They had corrupted the church then and they have corrupted our churches today. They teach rapture and anytime theories that are not biblical. Back to Rev.3 and verse 10 reads.
Rev.3:10] Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
With the truth and understanding of who it is that comes first, we find him to be an abomination and not our Christ. But the whole world is deceived, look at our churches today, they want to fly away with the first Jesus which is the antichrist.
Rev.3:11] Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
What is this crown? Let’s go to James 1 and verse 12 reads.
James 1:12] Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Also written in 2Tim.4:8 and 1Pet.5:4. Back to Rev.3 and verse 12 reads.
Rev.3:12] Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
This is awesome to me, to be considered a pillar in the temple of God. What does a pillar do, it holds up the ceiling of the temple. He calls us the pillars, and we know in Rev.21:22 it gives us a description of the temple and it reads.
Rev.21:22] And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.
Now you know why this is so awesome to me, back to Rev.3 and verse 13 reads.
Rev.3:13] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Opening our eyes and ears to his word today, and to which church we should be in. We must learn to check our teachers, and know if they are of God or Satan. Now we go to the next church.
Rev.3:14] And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
Again, I love his description of Jesus here. John begins his gospel with these words, John 1:1-3 and it reads.
John 1:1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[2] The same was in the beginning with God.
[3] All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Back to Rev.3 we are still speaking of the church Laodiceans, let’s see what Jesus thinks of this one. And verse 15 reads.
Rev.3:15] I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
[16] So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
The key here is out of his mouth. This would be the Sword of the Lord and that is the Word of God. What this is saying is; they do not and teach not the word of God.
Rev.3:17] Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
They think they know the Lord but they do not study his word. Maybe they also teach the rapture doctrine which is not the word of God. Jesus just said they are blind, meaning he has closed their eyes.
Rev.3:18] I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
When Jesus counsels you, take heed. Buy gold tried in fire, this means purity. That thou mayest be rich, in the word and have white raiment, we just studied this in verse 5 of this chapter which led us to Rev.19:8. It’s the righteousness of the Saints. And finishes with anointing of eye salve that He might open their eyes to the truth in God’s word.
Rev. 3:19] As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Repentance is still available for the children of this church. But I don’t think for the false teachers who lead them because they are Kenites. Notice he will discipline those who are zealous for the Lord, those that love him.
Rev.3:20] Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Seek him and you will find him. He is the one who knocks on your door, do you have ears to hear, then open the door and he will feed you the truth that is God’s Word. Now, we notice that those that are of this church still have time to read and hear God’s word.
Rev.3:21] To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
I want to go to Luke 12 and read about this from the mouth of Jesus while he was yet with us in the flesh. Luke 12 and verse 33 reads.
Luke 12:33] Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
Speaking of that gold that they can buy from him.
Luke 12:34] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
[35] Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;
Gird yourself up with that gospel armor, and be the light in the world for his sake.
Luke 12:36] And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately.
[37] Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.
The Lord is telling us that if you are in his word then you will know these things. He is with us and so is the Father and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, and he will give to us the knowledge to overcome that wicked one in these end times. Let’s finish this lesson, Rev.3 and verse 22 reads.
Rev.3:22] He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Do you have ears to hear what the Spirit says to the churches in these end times. I’d like to pray that the Lord opens your eyes and ears to his word today. Let’s go to his throne.
Father, we thank you for your word and ask that you bless all that love you in Jesus’s precious name, Amen.
KJV along with The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of The Bible