Shameless Faith

And he [Jesus] said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. (Luke 11:5-8)

 

There is a word used in the scripture above (in the King James version) that I think is appropriate no matter what the version of scripture is; it's a word that gives great understanding to this scripture passage and to what it is Jesus would have us know about this particular passage. 

 

The word is "importunity." Here is how its root word "importune" is  defined:

 

Importune:  to ask (someone) pressingly and persistently for or to do something; to beset with insistent or repeated requests; entreat pressingly; to make repeated forceful requests for something, usually in a way that is annoying; to push relentlessly towards one's purpose or course of action; being unshakeable from one's goal; shameless in the pursuit of what one seeks or desires to have.

 

Jesus spoke this parable immediately following His instructions on how to pray to the Father (aka The Lord's Prayer).  It is clear that He was not finished instructing about prayer for this parable illustrates not the words with which we are to pray, but the attitude with which we are to pray.

 

If I pray with "importunity," then I will be persistent in requesting things of the Father. I will be dogged and clamorous and annoying and troublesome.  I will hold tenaciously to my purpose. I will not lose sight of my purpose, no matter how long it takes to get it.  I will not cease until I have what I have asked for, and the longer it takes to get it, the more irritatingly persistent I will be.   I will not slack off; rather, I will become more diligent in my purpose, as was the neighbor who went knocking on his friend's door in the middle of the night, shameless in his persistence, with no intention of stopping until the neighbor finally answered with what I can only imagine was intense irritation.  Still, the man got his three loaves of bread. And if I pray with such importunity, I also will get what I ask; assuming, of course, that I am not asking for anything that is contrary to the Word of God.

 

Sometimes, we don't get what we ask for because we give up so quickly; which tells us it was not all that important to us in the first place. What is important to us will carry us past political correctness to utter shamelessness because how we appear to others is of no significance compared to that which we seek.

 

I can't help but recall that scripture that says:

 
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." (Matthew 11:12)

 These are Christians who take the kingdom of heaven by force; these are Christians who are violent.  No, not violent in the sense that radical extremists are, but violent in our prayers that assault heaven unceasingly and with such great fervency that the heavens must shake from the onslaught. That's the kind of prayer attitude Jesus is trying to tell us we need to have.

 

What is the opposite of "importune"?

 

Perhaps some antonyms would be: nonchalant, quiet, weak, irresolute, slack, timid, unassertive, spineless.

 

Perhaps a good opposite for "importune" would be "tepid" or "lukewarm."  Hmm...lukewarm...where have I heard that word used before?

 

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:16)

These were the words of Jesus spoken to the church at Laodicea; the church which many bible scholars compare to the current-day church (church meaning those who claim to follow Jesus Christ).  Jesus alone would have every right to speak these words to any church who would not follow Him in passion and fervor and persistence; for Jesus was relentless in the pursuit of His course of action (the cross), unshakeable in His tenacity and determination, letting nothing prevent Him from reaching His goal, no matter how terrible for Himself.  If we are indeed followers of Christ, we will be as determined and persistent and tenacious and relentless as He was, in all that we do, but most especially in prayer.

 

Immediately after the parable of the importunate neighbor, Jesus goes on to say this, which is still very much related to the subject of prayer:

 

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)

 

In the first parable we understand that the "importunity" was directly related to the man's knocking on his friend's door with such persistence that the annoyed neighbor, unable to sleep with the racket, got out of his comfortable bed and gave the man what he asked for. Here is further information I found about "knocking":

 

"Asking—without seeking and knocking—flows from the same lazy river as faith without works." (Jennifer LeClaire, Charisma Magazine article: http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/the-plumb-line/17225-ask-seek-knock-god-s-formula-for-persistent-faith)

Jennifer LeClaire relates "seeking" to getting up and doing something.  For example, if you are "asking" God for a job, you must also be "seeking" a job.  To sit on your sofa watching television all day while "asking" is, as Jennifer states, "lazy."   God will give the matter as much attention as you give the matter: none at all.  In another example, if you are "asking" for reconciliation, you must be actively pursuing ("seeking") reconciliation.  These are the works that prayers of "shameless faith" produce.

Then..."Once you see God's promise in clear view, knock and keep on knocking until the promised door is open...God opens doors that no one can shut (see Rev. 3:8), but often, you have to knock" (Jennifer LeClaire).

So, in order to pray prayers that are answered by God, we must pray for things that do not contradict His Word, and we must pray with an attitude that also does not contradict His Word; in other words, we must pray with importune (shameless, persistent, relentless) faith.  Then, once we are praying according to His will for the things we desire and with the right attitude, we will receive from Him that which we have requested.

And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: and if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. (1 John 5:14-15)

A Strange Thing

I read a lot.

I read Christian teaching books.  I read autobiographical books by other Christians.  I read a lot of biographies about martyrs and missionaries and men and women of God. I listen to a lot of teachings on video from biblical scholars that I trust, knowing that their gospel is the same gospel that Jesus taught His disciples (gospel meaning "good news").  I study the bible a great deal.

But when it is all said and done, no matter how much I study, or listen, or read, I cannot escape the fact that FAITH is just a strange thing that cannot be explained to others because it cannot even be understood by us.  It appears to have no logic, when in fact it is the most logical thing there is...at least to God.  True faith isn't something we can muster up on our own.  It comes only from God to us.  And what comes from God often appears as strange to mere mortal men who do not have the scope of vision that our Creator God has; infinite scope of vision is required to make "logical sense" of true faith.

What I have found, however, is that even though it cannot be explained, it can in fact be seen; or better put, it can be demonstrated by the one with faith and witnessed by others who might not yet have faith.  Thus, having a testimony that shows great faith becomes the best explanation of all, really.

It is a strange thing, for example, that in the very early 20th century, a man from South Wales by the name of Rees Howells and his wife, Elizabeth, were able to leave their only infant son behind with close family members, when the Lord called them to take up the work of missionaries to Africa. They could have rationalized that the Lord intended them to do this work once the child was grown, not when, being an infant, Africa could be life-threatening to the child.

But, instead, by faith they chose to live according to the word of God that said "Anyone who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." Not wanting to harm the child, yet knowing they must respond obediently to the Lord, they made the decision to leave the child with Rees' uncle and aunt, who loved the child almost immediately upon meeting him. Still, the strength necessary for loving parents to part with their only son when the time came, would not have been possible had not the Lord reminded them of Calvary...of another One who gave up His own Son so that many might be saved from eternal death and have eternal life instead.

The Howells became part of the South Africa General Mission that had been founded in 1889 by the Rev. Andrew Murray; they were instrumental to the major revival that swept Africa during the early 1900's, a revival that brought thousands upon thousands to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The Howells' son, meanwhile, had every advantage from the family members who raised him as their own, even graduating from Oxford University.  The foster parents of Samuel Rees Howells wanted him to become a doctor, but the young man received a call from God just as his own parents had done two decades earlier.  He answered God's call by entering the ministry and joining his parents in their work, even though his parents had been deliberate in their efforts to never influence or draw him to themselves, for they believed it would dishonor God to "look back" in longing to that which they willingly gave to the Lord. It was God who restored to them that which they had given up for His Name's sake.  It was God who brought Samuel back into the lives of his godly parents. The Howells gave up their life with their son, the privilege of all parents, in order to bring eternal life to countless others.

Strange also are those missionaries of the 1700's who packed their coffins with their few belongings before traveling to foreign places, knowing that the trip was one-way only...there would be no return to their homeland.  But these "one-way missionaries" were willing to answer the call of the Lord to take His good news to those who would have no other way to know Jesus, except for those who were willing to give up comfort, home, family and friends, even their lives, for the sake of others. By faith these missionaries believed that the sufferings of this life were but a moment in comparison to the eternity of joy that they, and those they took the good news of the gospel to, would experience in the presence of the very Creator whom they worshipped and served.

It is strange that in the 1500's William Tyndale was willing to risk death in order to bring the good news of the gospel to his fellow Englishmen, desiring to translate the Word of God into English from the Latin in which it had been successfully hidden for centuries from the masses. Knowing that their sins and excesses would be exposed by the Word of God once it was available for all to read and understand, the hierarchy of the powerful Roman Catholic Church imprisoned Tyndale for over a year, convicted him of heresy, executed him by strangulation, and burned his body at the stake. Even upon threat of violent death, Tyndale would no relent from serving His Creator and Lord.  By faith he knew that God Himself was not to be hidden from the world through an uncommon language. The faith demonstrated by William Tyndale birthed many missionaries who still to this day spend their lives living in the remotest foreign countries in order to learn specific new languages and translate the Word of God into those languages so that none will miss the opportunity to know Jesus Christ and have eternal life.

Strange that in the 2nd century, a Christian bishop named Polycarp refused to burn a simple pinch of incense as a sign of worship to the Roman Emperor; strange that he chose instead to burn at the stake.  He might have said to himself, "What is a little pinch of incense? Surely it makes no difference.  After all, in my heart I know who the real God is."  But he did not rationalize himself away from death back towards life.  He could not be dissuaded by mere death to compromise his witness to the world around him. And so he died a terrible death. Yet many who saw his faith received faith of their own and gained eternal life.

Strange that in the first century a young and vibrant 33 year old man, with his whole life still ahead of him, would demonstrate his tremendous faith in God, His Father, by following His Father's instructions willingly...all the way to a barbaric death on a cross.  Strange that He would give his life for millions and millions of folks, even with the risk that many of them might never thank Him for the gift of having sacrificed His own life on that cross for their eternal salvation.  Yet He went to the cross anyway, having faith that if even for only one, it was worth it all. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

Listen to what the apostle Paul had to say about faith:

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. (Phil.2:8-9 NIV)

These words are strange to those who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Strange indeed that all material possessions and successes that the world sees as gain, we Christians consider to be loss and rubbish in comparison to having that great strange thing called "faith in Christ" by which we live lives that bring honor to God:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that HE IS, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Here in America it is difficult to witness this strange thing called faith, although it can still be found.  Elsewhere, in countries suffering intense religious persecution it can be see more easily.

Here is a link to news stories tracked by an organization that strives to keep the world aware of those thousands that are still today being persecuted for their faith.  These Christians need our prayers. Most of these stories occurred during Christmas this year, as we here in America celebrated in the warmth of our homes surrounded by loved ones:

http://www.persecution.org/2013/12/

In one of these stories you will find a statement that reads:

"A mass exodus is taking place, on a biblical scale.  In some places there is a real danger that Christianity will become extinct."

The article goes on to state that this is due to religious persecution from those who have made Christianity "a taboo subject" due to "political correctness, or some sense of embarrassment at 'doing God'."

I cannot help but be reminded of the prophetic words of Jesus recorded more than 2,000 years ago:

 

Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

                                                         (Luke 18:8)

The Message of Christmas

Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the Savior of mankind: Jesus the Christ, or Jesus the Messiah.  Here is how His birth came about, and here is what His birth meant to mankind:

His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins..."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25)

The name Jesus means: THE LORD SAVES. It was the Spirit of God who put the seed of a baby within the womb of a young virgin girl; the seed did not come from man. So that, born in the flesh to share in the pain and suffering of mortal man, and to save mortal man from his sins by the power of the Lord God, came a male child, born of God and of woman, worshipped in the manger by three wise men who could read the heavens and the stars, signs put in place by our Creator God Himself, and were looking there for the star (most likely a comet) that would signal the Messiah's coming:

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.... the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. (Matthew 2:1-9)

Jesus grew from the babe in the manger and became a man perfectly obedient to God in every way, even to the cross, where He became the perfect atonement for the sins of mankind; sins being anything that went against the way the Creator designed His creation (mankind) to live, beginning with loving God with all one's heart, soul, mind and strength, for we were created for a relationship with Him first and foremost.  Because man rebelled and love himself more than God, choosing his own way over God's way, man became separated from that relationship with God (sin separates us from God). But the Creator loved man enough to rectify that relationship through His own Son, Jesus, sending Jesus to save man from sin's destruction and to become the divine bridge that reconnected mankind back to God

For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosever would believe in Him, would not perish, but have life everlasting.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)

Jesus humbled himself all the way to the cross for your sake and for mine. He gave His life for YOU and for ME as perfect atonement (reconciliation) for the sins that separate us from God.

Jesus is the message of Christmas: a message which was delivered first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles, so that all the people of the world could receive this gift of God that would save them from their sins.

It is not about how good you are.  It is not about how bad you are. God says that we have all sinned, for our measuring stick for righteousness is not between one another, but between us and our Creator who is without sin.  By God's measuring stick there is no one who is perfectly good, not one!  We are all equal in our imperfection which shows in our lack of neglect towards our Creator God. We are all equal in our need to be saved from sin. "A God deserving of worship cannot issue an arbitrary amnesty for humanitarians or pantheists who persist in worshiping and serving themselves more than their personal Creator Himself." -Chuck Missler

So God provided His own Son, Jesus, being both God and man, yet being perfect in his obedience to the Father, showing us that with God all things are possible, including obedience to God, so that forgiveness of sin, and the right to know our Creator God as "Father," is provided to us through the Son, Jesus Christ, sent to us by God Himself.

The message of Christmas is simply about trusting by faith in the saving grace that the Father provided to each of us through His Son Jesus; grace that releases us from the bondage of sin, and sets us free the guilt of sin, and its condemnation, restoring us back to a right relationship with the Father: GOD.  It is not a gift that you can purchase, or earn.  It cannot be received through force or might. It must be received as freely as it is freely given.

The message of Christmas is: receive the gift of God, your Creator, now at Christmas, and with it receive the promise of the eternal God and Father: life everlasting beyond the grave through....

...YESHUA HAMASHIACH TO THE JEWS, JESUS CHRIST THE MESSIAH TO THE GENTILES, OUR SAVING LORD.

All that is needed is that you believe that God sent His Son, Jesus, for your sake. that God raised Jesus from death after His crucifixion for our sin, and that Jesus is the first of many who...having faith to believe God is true and faithful to His Word...will live after death eternally in the presence of their loving Father God.  Simply believe and put your eternal life back under God's saving protection where it was meant to be from the very beginning of Creation itself.

                         THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS.

The Church at Sardis, Part 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. (Rev. 3:3)

Let me see if I can get you properly into the spirit of the early Hebrew church.

At the time that this vision was given to the disciple Yochanan (John) to record, there was no New Testament.  The only scriptures that were available to them were the Torah (the Law of God), the Neviim (the Prophets - those early in the history of Israel, such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, etc.), and the Ketuvim (the Writings - the Psalms and all the remaining books of our Old Testament).  The first letter of each of these sections of scripture were taken to form the word TaNaK.  The Tanak was all the scripture that was available and it was through the Tanak that righteous men recognized, and became disciples of, Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus, the Anointed One).

Isn't it interesting that with only the Tanak to guide them, humble hearts that were truly seeking HaMashiach were able to find Him?  The New Testament had not been written, and yet there were 120 disciples waiting in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) on Shavuot (the Feast of Weeks, aka the Day of Pentecost). And on that same day 3,000 more came to know Jesus Christ as their Messiah. And yet there was no "Roman road" to lead them through. There was not a single letter of Paul written at that time. (Doesn't that make you wonder, as it does me, why the church today believes that the "Roman road" is a necessary formula for salvation, when 2,000 years ago there was no Roman road, yet thousands were saved?)

And all Peter had to do on that day of Pentecost to bring 3,000 souls to Christ was to remind them of passages from the Tanak, specifically prophetic words written by the prophet Joel and David, the former God-appointed king of Israel; comparing those words to eyewitness facts about Jesus. Thus, the Tanak was vital to their understanding, as I believe it must be to our own understanding today.

There in Jerusalem, waiting for the promise, was the early and very first church; not dead, but very much alive.

They received nothing less than what the church at Sardis had also received. It was through the Tanak that the church of Sardis "received" and it was through the spoken testimonies of eyewitnesses (not yet recorded in writing) illuminated to them by the Ruach HaKodesh (the Holy Spirit) that they "heard" about Yeshua who had walked among them, performed too many miracles to be held in one book, been tortured, crucified, and raised from the dead.  It was because of what they had "received" and "heard" that the church of Sardis should have believed that Yeshua was now seated at the right hand of the YHWH, having sent the gift of the Ruach-HaKodesh to completely enable them to do good works that would bring glory to Adonai (the Lord); works even greater than Yeshua Himself had performed, for He Himself had said this would happen. And this very thing had happened to the 120 disciples waiting in Jerusalem on Pentecost: they had performed even "greater" works (more in number) than Jesus did.

But the church in Sardis had not done so...performed good works, that is....that brought glory to Adonai.  And it could only be because they did not "do" what the Tanak told them to "do."  Yeshua did everything the Tanak told Him to do because it was the heart of YHWH (God) spoken to man, but the church at Sardis decided it would be acceptable to do things a little differently than Yeshua HaMashiach had done or than YHWH wanted.

That must have been the problem because their works were not found perfect before YHWH, and yet the works of Yeshua had been found perfect before Him.  If the church had been following Yeshua, specifically following His obedience to the written word of YHWH as found in the Tanak  ("received") as well as His obedience to the Ruach-HaKodesh ("heard"); their works would have been perfect as well, would they not?  They would have been obedient to the Word of God, just as Yeshua had been obedient.

Yeshua came to fulfill the Tanak; not to change one yod (see note below) or one tittle (Matthew 5:18) of the Tanak (because God does not change and neither does His Word), but to fulfill it, in other words to confirm its validity by being obedient to it in every way and even more to show the Spirit of God dwelled in that law; that to do the law without the Spirit of God that dwelled in the law, was to miss the mark.  But He did not do away with the law, that is doctrinal error that has been passed down through the ages.  This error did not come from the early church who were obedient in every way to the Law, just as Jesus had been obedient.  They didn't believe obedience to the law could save them, but then again, they never had believed that.  Even Abraham, the scripture says, was saved by faith, not by his works.  No one who kept the law believed it would bring them eternal life, but they knew that by keeping the law they were pleasing God and identifying themselves with God.  Thus, Jesus pleased God and identified Himself as being of God.  So also, did the early church.

And then somewhere along the way, perhaps beginning even here in Sardis, the church stopped identifying itself with the law, turning away from "perfect" works that were obedient to the law; works performed through grace (through the Holy Spirit) by faith (in Jesus the Messiah).  They began instead to do things according to what they believed was the right way to do things, following one another, following  man, instead of God according to His Word. And so they failed to please God. The modern church still fails to please God because they are still following man, the traditions of man, rather than the law and the complete word of God.

What does Jesus tell the church at Sardis to do about their decision to do things "imperfectly" (their own way instead of Yeshua's, not observing or obeying the Tanak, nor listening to the Ruach HaKodesh)?

Repent.

What would He tell us to do today because we have decided to do things man's way (through the traditions of men who decided to do things a little differently than Yeshua as we choose to continue to follow man's error rather than observe and obey the complete Word of God including the Tanak being led by the Ruach HaKodesh in all of this?)

Repent.

Our own works will never be "perfect" before God until they abide (dwell in) in the completeness of His Word as illuminated to us by the Holy Spirit.  The church today needs to stop doing its own works, and begin dwelling in the Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to confirm the Word to them.  Just as Jesus did:

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. (John 8:28)

Who better to judge whether our works (performed by His church) are of ourselves or of the Father?

Jesus warns the church at Sardis, as He does us today.  But this same warning can be found in another part of scripture concerning the virgin bride.  Listen to what Jesus is telling the church...not the lost...but the saved church.  So as you read this parable that Jesus spoke, think of yourself and what is it that you could be missing out on because of the same imperfect works as the church at Sardis:

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

 

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 

 

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

 

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

 

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:1-13)

 

This same lesson for the church is repeated in various forms in other parables.  Take a quick look at Matthew 25:29-46 and Matthew 22:1-14.  They contain the same warning, but described in different parable form...and the warning is to the church, NOT to the lost.

 

We will explore the meaning behind the warnings to the church when we continue this study sometime after the holidays.

[Note: yod is the tenth letter of the aleph-bet, the Hebrew alphabet.  It is the smallest of the Hebrew letters. It is a mere dot. The first dot with which the scribes first start writing a letter, or the last dot that gives a letter its final form...is a yod. (Likutei Maharan). In Jewish tradition: "since the yod is used to form all the other letters, and since God uses the letters as the building blocks of creation, yod indicates God's omnipresence."  Such was the reverence given to the Word of God by the Hebrew nation.  The modern church lacks the understanding of the importance of even one yod of God's Word.

The Church at Sardis, Part 2

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.

Jesus declares that He sees the works (the deeds) of this church.  He acknowledges that they are well-known, possibly because their works are praised by the community as being charitable and good social works; works that any community would be proud to claim. He says their works are proclaimed, by the world's standards, to be full of life.

But He says that their works are not perfect according to God's standards of holiness, and as a result, the church itself is dead!

Imagine being in your church that is a hopping busy church full of all sorts of programs and works, and Jesus walks in and declares you and your church to be DEAD. 

What can Jesus be talking about; why is this church of reputable works, declared to be missing God's standard (not perfect) for a church?

Perhaps John 15:5-8 gives some understanding:

He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.....by this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

We can gloss over a lot of things in the Word of God by not really meditating upon and understanding key words used, such as: ABIDE.

The simple definition of ABIDE is: to accept or act in accordance with. 

Some synonyms of abide (meaning the same thing basically) are:

comply with, obey, observe, follow, keep to, hold to, conform to, adhere to, stick to, stand by, act in accordance with, uphold, heed, accept, acknowledge, respect,  go along with, defer to.

This church was doing a lot, but according to Jesus it was nothing, meaning it had nothing to do with HIM.  The members of this church were not abiding in Christ; they were not observing Hiim, complying with Him, holding to Him, conforming to Him, adhering to Him, acting in accordance with Him, acknowledging Him, respecting Him, deferring to Him in the things that they were doing.

Yet they were popular in their community.  All of which goes to show us that when we are really something special according to the world's standard, we should be worried because it can't possibly be right according to God's standard.

But it should tell us something else as well: who do we think we are to do anything without being led by Jesus whose servants (slaves) we are?  It doesn't matter if a slave does something good, if it is not what the master wants at the time and place that He wants it.  It is simply evidence that the slave is doing his own thing and not his master's thing. 

This is who we are in Christ; just as He was to the Father:  always observing the Father, constantly on guard to the Father's desires, never failing to hear the Father above all others, first and foremost, never putting man (or man's ideas and thoughts) before the Father.

Until we follow Jesus as He followed the Father, we are not abiding in Christ.

Until we are abiding in Christ, all that we do is worthy only to be burned, it doesn't matter how GOOD we think we are or how GOOD the things are that we do. We are not judged by the world's standards, but by our Creator's.  His is the only opinion that should matter to us.

We can know if we are abiding in Christ, by whether or not we are in His Word, whether or not He consumes our day, whether or not we communicate with Him through prayer ceaselessly, as Paul tells us we should, throughout the day, whether or not we are able to hear His voice telling us : "Go there!"

Being a disciple of Christ is not a part-time job.  It is not something we can do only when we have time.  It is all or it is nothing.

If Christ is not ALL in your life, it is not too late to repent and make Him ALL.  You won't be popular with other people around you, but Christians cannot abide in the world and abide in Christ too.  It just does not work.  We are to be in the world, but not of it and abiding in the world implies being of it, just as abiding in Christ implies being of Him.

But we can be a LIGHT to the world if we carry Christ in us (abiding in us) who IS the LIGHT.  And those in the world will receive LIFE from that LIGHT of CHRIST.

I believe abiding in Christ is a very difficult thing for us Americans who are so blessed.  We hustle and bustle constantly, always doing, always buying, always busy.  I think those who have nothing find it easy to make Christ everything.

But we must persevere.  We must struggle to remain separate from the world and abiding only in Christ.  We must not lose sight of what it will take to hear those words spoken to us one day by the only One who matters when He says to us individually: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

The church in Sardis is a dead church because it is of the world and not of Christ.

The Story of Hanukkah, Final

Then said Judas and his brothers, "Behold, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it."

So all the army assembled and they went up to Mount Zion. And they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins.

Then they rent their clothes, and mourned with great lamentation, and sprinkled themselves with ashes. They fell face down on the ground, and sounded the signal on the trumpets, and cried out to Heaven. Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary. He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. And they thought it best to tear it down, lest it bring reproach upon them, for the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until there should come a prophet to tell what to do with them. Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple.  Then they burned incense on the altar and lighted the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken. 

Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-eighth year, they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering which they had built.  At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them.
So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and offered burnt offerings with gladness; they offered a sacrifice of deliverance and praise. They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and furnished them with doors. There was very great gladness among the people, and the reproach of the Gentiles was removed.

Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with gladness and joy for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev. ( 1 Maccabees 4:36-59)

Jewish tradition has it that there was only enough oil to burn for one day in the lampstand, yet the lamps burned for eight entire days, and thus the holiday is also known as the Festival of Lights.

Why should a believer in Christ be interested in Hanukkah?  If you read the online book with the link I provided, you will understand.

The Jewish Hanukkah season is over now and the Gentile Christmas season has just begun; we are back to our normal division; a thing that I know should not be since we Christians were grafted into a Jewish root, but have long ago (since the second or third century) left all things Jewish behind...our loss....

It is our very great loss in terms of spiritual preparation for the Millennium and beyond, when there will once again be a temple, with Jesus as the Light of that temple, and Sabbaths (Saturday Sabbaths) will once again be reinstated, as well as the sacrifices.  Yes, the sacrifices will be reinstated as well; sacrifices made to the Prince of the land, who happens to be Jesus.  And He says in Ezekiel that He will dwell with His people in this temple FOREVER. You will find descriptions of the New Temple and the New City in which it will stand in Ezekiel 40-48, just past chapter 30 in which the battle of Gog takes place.

I pray, truly, I pray for the day when we will be united with our Jewish brethren again.  I know the day is coming.  And until then, I will not shy away from the Torah and the Feast Days as though they are not to be touched by anyone not Jewish; instead I will learn all that I can about them and even practice them where I am able in my limited understanding.  Because I believe Jews will always be God's chosen people, and we Christians will always be their adopted spiritual brethren, learning much from our elder brothers, especially those obedient to the Torah and recognizing Jesus as the Messiah, which the Word of God says they will ALL do...one day.  And I hope it is soon!

The Story of Hanukkah, Part 2

In those days Mattathias the son of John, son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, moved from Jerusalem and settled in Modein.  He had five sons, John surnamed Gaddi, Simon called Thassi, Judas called Maccabeus, Eleazar called Avaran, and Jonathan called Apphus. 

 He saw the blasphemies being committed in Judah and Jerusalem, and said, "Alas! Why was I born to see this, the ruin of my people, the ruin of the holy city, and to dwell there when it was given over to the enemy, the sanctuary given over to aliens? Her temple has become like a man without honor; her glorious vessels have been carried into captivity. Her babes have been killed in her streets, her youths by the sword of the foe. What nation has not inherited her palaces and has not seized her spoils? All her adornment has been taken away; no longer free, she has become a slave. And behold, our holy place, our beauty, and our glory have been laid waste; the Gentiles have profaned it. Why should we live any longer?"

And Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly...

...a Jew came forward in the sight of all to offer sacrifice upon the altar in Modein, according to the king's command. When Mattathias saw it, be burned with zeal and his heart was stirred. He gave vent to righteous anger; he ran and killed him upon the altar. At the same time he killed the king's officer who was forcing them to sacrifice, and he tore down the altar. Thus he burned with zeal for the law, as Phinehas did against Zimri the son of Salu.

Then Mattathias cried out in the city with a loud voice, saying: "Let every one who is zealous for the law and supports the covenant come out with me!" And he and his sons fled to the hills and left all that they had in the city...

...Now the days drew near for Mattathias to die, and he said to his sons: "Arrogance and reproach have now become strong; it is a time of ruin and furious anger. Now, my children, show zeal for the law, and give your lives for the covenant of our fathers....behold, I know that Simeon your brother is wise in counsel; always listen to him; he shall be your father. Judas Maccabeus has been a mighty warrior from his youth; he shall command the army for you and fight the battle against the peoples.  You shall rally about you all who observe the law, and avenge the wrong done to your people. Pay back the Gentiles in full, and heed what the law commands." Then he blessed them, and was gathered to his fathers.  He died in the one hundred and forty-sixth year and was buried in the tomb of his fathers at Modein. And all Israel mourned for him with great lamentation. ...

...Then Judas his son, who was called Maccabeus, took command in his place.

All his brothers and all who had joined his father helped him; they gladly fought for Israel. He extended the glory of his people. Like a giant he put on his breastplate; he girded on his armor of war and waged battles, protecting the host by his sword. He was like a lion in his deeds, like a lion's cub roaring for prey. He searched out and pursued the lawless; he burned those who troubled his people. Lawless men shrank back for fear of him; all the evildoers were confounded; and deliverance prospered by his hand. He embittered many kings, but he made Jacob glad by his deeds, and his memory is blessed for ever. He went through the cities of Judah; he destroyed the ungodly out of the land; thus he turned away wrath from Israel. He was renowned to the ends of the earth;
he gathered in those who were perishing....

...When [Judas] saw that the army [of Lysias] was strong, he prayed, saying, "Blessed art thou, O Savior of Israel, who didst crush the attack of the mighty warrior by the hand of thy servant David, and didst give the camp of the Philistines into the hands of Jonathan, the son of Saul, and of the man who carried his armor. So do thou hem in this army by the hand of thy people Israel, and let them be ashamed of their troops and their cavalry. Fill them with cowardice; melt the boldness of their strength; let them tremble in their destruction. Strike them down with the sword of those who love thee, and let all who know thy name praise thee with hymns." Then both sides attacked, and there fell of the army of Lysias five thousand men; they fell in action.

And when Lysias saw the rout of his troops and observed the boldness which inspired those of Judas, and how ready they were either to live or to die nobly, he departed to Antioch and enlisted mercenaries, to invade Judea again with an even larger army.

Then said Judas and his brothers, "Behold, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it." (1 Maccabees 2-4)

The Story of Hanukkah, Part 1

For those of you who did not take the time to download the book about Hanukkah from the link I provided in yesterday's blog, I have decided it is noteworthy enough (so did Jesus as He went to the temple to honor the celebration called Feast of Dedication - in John 10:22-23 - to commemorate the rededicating of the temple after this atrocity, and he spoke of it in detail to His disciples in Mark 13:13-16 and Matthew 24:15-18) to print the entire story of Hanukkah here which follows after my brief intro. But believers are missing an incredible lesson in the prophecy of the Book of Daniel if they do not download and read this free, 55 page booklet....just read the first 33 pages...it is easy to read online (very large print) and you will not be disappointed.  The second chapter is the one that details the prophecy of Daniel...both past events and the future events that will appear on our horizon fairly soon, I think. It is excellent, really! It pertains very much to believers in Christ. Please take time to read it!  Here is the link one more time to make it easy for you:
http://elshaddaiministries.us/MiscPDF/light-in-the-darkness_ebook.pdf

Now on to the story of Hanukkah.

INTRO
The time is approximately 160 years before Christ. The people of God known as Israel, even before the nation by that name was officially recognized, were continuing in their observance of the laws given to them by God through Moses and recorded in the Old Covenant books of the Torah; this included circumcising all male babies on the 8th day after their birth, abiding by dietary restrictions that considered pork, among other things, to be an unclean animal and not fit for human consumption (certainly not for God's people), and congregating at the temple of God on feast days and Sabbaths.

Then an event occurred that was a foreshadowing of things to come on this earth that will be worse even than the Holocaust, for this coming event will include both Jews and Gentiles.  Although to those who suffered under the demonic tyranny of Antiochus IV, himself a pre-cursor of not only Hitler but also the end-times anti-christ, the most horrific of holocausts had just happened....to them! 

To find the historical accounting of this dark period for the Jews, I now turn to what are known as the apocryphal books, specifically those two books known as 1 and 2 Maccabees.  The portions that are in brackets [ ] are my words, all else is from Maccabees.

1 Mac. 1

After Alexander son of Philip, the Macedonian, who came from the land of Kittim, had defeated Darius, king of the Persians and the Medes, he succeeded him as king. (He had previously become king of Greece.)  He fought many battles, conquered strongholds, and put to death the kings of the earth.  He advanced to the ends of the earth, and plundered many nations. When the earth became quiet before him, he was exalted, and his heart was lifted up. He gathered a very strong army and ruled over countries, nations, and princes, and they became tributary to him. After this he fell sick and perceived that he was dying.

So he summoned his most honored officers, who had been brought up with him from youth, and divided his kingdom among them while he was still alive. And after Alexander had reigned twelve years, he died. Then his officers began to rule, each in his own place.

They all put on crowns after his death, and so did their sons after them for many years; and they caused many evils on the earth. From them came forth a sinful root, Antiochus Epiphanes, son of Antiochus the king; he had been a hostage in Rome. He began to reign in the one hundred and thirty-seventh year of the kingdom of the Greeks.

In those days lawless men came forth from Israel [this refers to Jews who turned their back on the law of Moses, being disobedient to God, and thus "lawless"], and misled many, saying, "Let us go and make a covenant with the Gentiles round about us, for since we separated from them many evils have come upon us." [God told His people specifically to keep separate from the pagan Gentiles and their pagan ways knowing that Israel would eventually be turned away from God if they mingled; only those Gentiles who converted to Judaism were allowed to travel with the camps of Israel.]

This proposal pleased them [the Jews], and some of the people eagerly went to the king. He authorized them to observe the ordinances of the Gentiles. So they built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, according to Gentile custom, and removed the marks of circumcision, and abandoned the holy covenant. They joined with the Gentiles and sold themselves to do evil. When Antiochus saw that his kingdom was established, he determined to become king of the land of Egypt, that he might reign over both kingdoms.

So he invaded Egypt with a strong force, with chariots and elephants and cavalry and with a large fleet. He engaged Ptolemy king of Egypt in battle, and Ptolemy turned and fled before him, and many were wounded and fell. And they captured the fortified cities in the land of Egypt, and he plundered the land of Egypt. After subduing Egypt, Antiochus returned in the one hundred and forty-third year. He went up against Israel and came to Jerusalem with a strong force.

He arrogantly entered the sanctuary and took the golden altar, the lampstand for the light, and all its utensils. He took also the table for the bread of the Presence, the cups for drink offerings, the bowls, the golden censers, the curtain, the crowns, and the gold decoration on the front of the temple; he stripped it all off. He took the silver and the gold, and the costly vessels; he took also the hidden treasures which he found. Taking them all, he departed to his own land.

He committed deeds of murder,
and spoke with great arrogance.
Israel mourned deeply in every community,
rulers and elders groaned,
maidens and young men became faint,
the beauty of women faded.
Every bridegroom took up the lament;
she who sat in the bridal chamber was mourning.
Even the land shook for its inhabitants,
and all the house of Jacob was clothed with shame.

Two years later the king sent to the cities of Judah a chief collector of tribute, and he came to Jerusalem with a large force.

Deceitfully he spoke peaceable words to them, and they believed him; but he suddenly fell upon the city, dealt it a severe blow, and destroyed many people of Israel. He plundered the city, burned it with fire, and tore down its houses and its surrounding walls. And they took captive the women and children, and seized the cattle. Then they fortified the city of David with a great strong wall and strong towers, and it became their citadel.

And they stationed there a sinful people, lawless men. These strengthened their position;
they stored up arms and food, and collecting the spoils of Jerusalem they stored them there, and became a great snare.

It became an ambush against the sanctuary,
an evil adversary of Israel continually.
On every side of the sanctuary they shed innocent blood;
they even defiled the sanctuary.
Because of them the residents of Jerusalem fled;
she became a dwelling of strangers;
she became strange to her offspring,
and her children forsook her.
Her sanctuary became desolate as a desert;
her feasts were turned into mourning,
her sabbaths into a reproach,
her honor into contempt.
Her dishonor now grew as great as her glory;
her exaltation was turned into mourning.

Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, and that each should give up his customs. All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king. Many even from Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath.

And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and feasts, to defile the sanctuary and the priests, to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances.

"And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die."

In such words he wrote to his whole kingdom. And he appointed inspectors over all the people and commanded the cities of Judah to offer sacrifice, city by city. Many of the people, every one who forsook the law, joined them, and they did evil in the land; they drove Israel into hiding in every place of refuge they had.

Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah, and burned incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. The books of the law which they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire. Where the book of the covenant was found in the possession of any one, or if any one adhered to the law, the decree of the king condemned him to death. They kept using violence against Israel, against those found month after month in the cities. And on the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar which was upon the altar of burnt offering. According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their children circumcised, and their families and those who circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mothers' necks.

But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food.
They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die.  And very great wrath came upon Israel.

The remainder of the story will follow in tomorrow's posting.

The Final Day of Hanukkah

Today is the last day of the eight day celebration of Hanukkah, a Jewish celebration that began on Thanksgiving Day this year.  If you have seen any eight-candled menorahs lit in windows in your neighborhood, then you have seen the primary decoration of this holiday season for the Jewish people.  The menorah plays a very significant role in the history of Hanukkah.

 

I happened upon a downloadable book, that talks about the history of Hanukkah, in all of its very sad detail...it was a pre-cursor in 145 BC to the Holocaust of the 20th century.  Women who circumcised their babies according to the law of God were killed and their babies hung by the neck...those who helped to circumcise were also killed...yet many held faithful to God in spite of this terrible persecution.  The entire story is found in a Jewish writing called 1 and 2 Maccabees.  In it is told of the bravery of many specific Jews, cited by name, but, as always, these were fewer in number than those who surrendered to the enemy in fear of their lives; who began doing things that were forbidden by God, but demanded by a tyrant by the name of Antiochus IV.

 

I have added the link below, if you want to download the book...it is a small book...with excerpts taken from 1 and 2 Maccabees about the incident involving Antiochus and the Jewish Maccabees (Maccabees means Hammers) who rose up against him to end his terrible tyranny. [There are several blank pages that follow the cover page, but just scroll on down until you get to the beginning of the book.]

 

http://elshaddaiministries.us/MiscPDF/light-in-the-darkness_ebook.pdf

 

Hanukkah is the celebration of the end of this holocaust.

The Church at Sardis, Part 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. (Revelation 3:1a)

In each of the seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation, Jesus identifies Himself in a way that is specific to the church of whom He is speaking. Here Jesus identifies Himself has having "the" seven Spirits of God and as having "the" seven stars, making reference to something specific concerning the Spirits of God and the stars, not as random as might be signified if the article "the" had not been used. What God places importance upon should also be of importance to us, thus causing us to search His Word further for understanding of this passage. And obviously "seven" is key to our understanding. The Word tells us that these "metaphors" are "mysteries" and I believe the Lord wants us to seek Him enough to want to take time to search out His mysteries.

At one time in my life I relied heavily upon biblical commentaries, but I soon realized that this was taking the "easy" way out, allowing someone else to search scripture and to think for me, instead of doing the hard work of searching for that "pearl" myself.  I seldom do that now.  I search scriptures and I allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me and bring understanding.  That doesn't mean that I don't read other books, or refer to dictionaries, both biblical and secular for help at times, because I do, quite frequently if I find myself drawing a blank all the way round, but never until I have first searched out the understanding for myself.  Then, when I find that others have found what I have found, it becomes confirmation for me that I heard the Lord correctly.

So, where else in scripture are there references to "the seven Spirits of God" and where else are there references to "the seven stars"?

The seven stars are quite easy, in fact, as they are explained only two chapters earlier in Revelation as Jesus speaks to His servant John explaining a vision of the Lord that John had just received:

The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. (Revelation 1:20)

Now, if you read your commentaries, you will be told that the "angels" being referred to are the bishops or heads of the seven churches; that "angel" is another word for "messenger" and that these letters are going to given by John to those "messengers" that are the head of the churches so that the messengers can deliver the letters to be read aloud to one and all.  And the commentaries could be right.

But there is also the possibility that "angel" simply means "angel."  Classical dispensationist that I am, I like to take the Bible literally, and then apply a secondary prophetic meaning where it is clearly meant to be prophetic.  There is no doubt that Revelation is meant to be taken prophetically, although these seven letters were most definitely written to the local churches of John's time as well. 

We have already seen for example that the letter Jesus wrote to the church at Ephesus was discussing issues or problems that Paul himself had already personally discussed with them as well, confirmation that these letters were for John's day, even as they are also for us.  Why else would Jesus say to those of us reading all these centuries later: Whoever has ears, let him what the Spirit says to the churches?  He is telling us that these words are for our individual ("whoever" and "him")benefit and growth as well, thus they are prophetic of our times as well.  Thus, the Word "lives" even  into our present 21st century. 

Many biblical scholars will also tell you that the seven churches represent historical church "ages."  For example, the "persecuted church" age could be identified by the Church in Ephesus.  This would be the original early church of the Disciples who walked with Jesus and might continue for the first 100 years or so...it was definitely identified with persecutions.  And the church at Laodicea might represent that "apostate" or "falling away" church age of our modern times, where the young generation is simply not interested in the churches of their elders, and churches are mostly filled with the older generation instead.  But all of that is for another time of discussion.  Just trying to help you see the prophetic significance to these letters, as well as to the entire book of Revelation.

So, if "angel" does in fact mean "angel" then this might imply that there are angels given guard over each of Christ's churches, mightn't it?  Then again, it could mean the physical heads of the churches.  Then again, it could signify both.

One thing is for sure, these seven stars are held in the right hand of Jesus, signifying His authority over the angels of the churches, or His authority over the churches themselves. Authority, however, does not mean "control" for Jesus does not take control as One who holds a remote in front of a television set takes control.  Jesus gives control to those who submit to Him.  If Jesus controlled as with a remote, then there would be no issues in these churches, the churches would all go exactly as He dictates with a push of a button, but we will find at the end of our study that there are only two churches out of seven in which Jesus finds no issues. Yet Jesus does have complete authority over the churches.  He is the indisputable authoritative Head of the churches. And after this time of "proving" His saints, He will indeed take control over this out-of-control world that by legal deed belongs to Him.

What about the seven Spirits of God?  It is thought, by the commentators, that this refers to God's Holy Spirit.  And indeed, I believe it does as well.  But I think there is more to it than just calling it the Holy Spirit, and I am sure they (the commentators) thought that too.

Isaiah 11:2 speaks about the seven identifications, we might call them, of the Holy Spirit of God.  The Holy Spirit is:

1) of the LORD, 2) of wisdom, 3) of understanding, 4) of counsel, 5) of might, 6) of knowledge, 7) of the fear of the LORD.

I believe that it is all of these rolled into One Holy Spirit, and He, the Holy Spirit, is the one who moves the angels of the Lord to do His bidding, just as the Holy Spirit moves us to do the Lord's bidding. Right?

Searching scripture specifically looking for passages referring to the "seven Spirits of God" quickly brings up these two passages:

Rev. 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

Rev. 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

So what do these additional scriptures tell us about the seven Spirits of God? That they are a metaphor for the church; believers who, through the work of Christ on the cross, can stand before the very throne of God in the inherited righteousness of Christ.  Believers who make up the church - the one that is following the instructions of Jesus given to the disciples as recorded in Matthew 28:19-20.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

 

The Church at Thyatira, Part 3

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations - that one will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery - just as I have received authority from my Father.

I will also give that one the morning star. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Rev. 2:24-29)

What are "Satans so-called deep secrets"? What could the Lord be talking about here?

I suspect that He is referring to the "depths" of depravity.  I suspect that He is talking about "knowledge" such as was gained by Adam and Eve from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that was in the Garden of Eden.  I suspect that those who had not "learned" this knowledge, had managed to keep their innocence; remaining ignorant of the deep things of Satan. 

Thus, there was a remnant in this church who had remained faithful to the Lord, overcoming every temptation that was put before them; and there must have been many temptations, especially that coming from within the church itself thru the "Jezebel."

And so, Jesus says to that remnant that He "will not impose any other burden" on them; other than the burdens they currently carried.  What burdens did they carry?

Possibly those who had not conformed to the trade guilds were able only to scrape up meager work here and there, that which was not worthy of the guilds, or the cast-off of the guilds. Perhaps they were unable to work at all because they did not belong to the "union" that the guilds were during that time.

I have family in Sicily whose craft is in marble and tile.  They are unable to work unless they "pay" their dues to the Mafioso there.  The Mafia is not talked about openly, especially to tourists who visit Sicily, but it is still the established "system" in Sicily, one that gained a foothold a couple of centuries ago when the peasants of Sicily were in dire poverty with no one to help them...until the overlords, the Mafia, stepped in and rescued them.

I suspect the trade guilds in Thyatira were of the same mentality...work was given to those who paid the "dues."  Except that in this case, the dues included worship of false gods and participation in sexually immoral acts at the temples of these false gods; the "rescuers" of the people.  The "dues" had eternal consequences that the Thyatirans were blind to; blindness that the church in Thyatira was to bring light to so that they could see.  But instead, except for a few, the church joined themselves to the darkness and deception. Those that once saw became blind themselves.

The other burden that the faithful remnant had to endure was the very presence of these brethren who were not faithful.  How greatly did the sin of their brethren, afflict the hearts of those who understood the need for "separateness" from the world?  Jesus tells us that when we first repent and come to trust in Him, He takes up residence in our hearts in the form of the Holy Spirit. How greatly were these transformed hearts grieved by what they saw happening in their midst? Only as much as a Holy God would be grieved by sin: infinitely and sorrowfully grieved.

To those who endured, but managed to hang on to their utter and complete faith in God and in His goodness, Jesus promises the reward of ruling with Him, having "authority over the nations."  Those to whom He gives this authority, just as the Father gave Jesus authority, will rule with "an iron scepter" and will use that iron rod to break into many pieces "like pottery" rebellion of the nations.  This is a reference to Daniel 2:44:

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

The God of heaven will set up a kingdom FROM heaven: the millenial kingdom. This kingdom from heaven [the millenial kingdom] will break down and humble governments and nations int he way that only Jesus can do. But others, He says, will share in His ability, His authority, to humble those who are given to rebellion.  This refers to a just and fair government. Those who will be humbled, or justly governed, are the "nations." This especially is a reference to the millenial kingdom, the thousand-year reign of Christ here on earth.  Where else would there be "nations" which refers to an earthly system, except here on earth? Why else would that kingdom be the ultimate final kingdom to follow those of gold, silver, brass, iron and iron and clay mixed as Daniel 2 speaks of?  It must be the milennial kingdom.

The authority that Jesus is speaking of is not the authority which every believer has in Him.  He says that this authority will come at the "end" of their endurance: "does my will to the end."

This speaks of the rewards that every believer has the potential to receive, if he will.  He also has the potential to lose, or not receive, the promise.  This is separate from the salvation (justification) that only the cross of Christ can deliver.  God called a people to belong to Him:  the Israelites.  Jesus called people to follow Him: disciples.  God promised a "land" to those whom He called; but few were able to enter into that promise,  So is it with those whom Jesus has called to Himself: many are called but few are chosen; few enter in.

The unfaithful believers in Thyatira took their eyes off of the eternal and focused on the temporal.  Unless they repented, they would lose the "promise" - the rewards - to come.  This is a subject we will dig deeper into when we get into the remaining churches of Revelation.

To these faithful few in Thyatira, Jesus promises to give them the "morning star."  Who or what is the morning star that He refers to?

I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (Rev. 22:1)

The morning star is Jesus Himself.  Don't these believers already have Jesus in their hearts?  Of course, but Jesus is again referring to the millenial kingdom, when they will be in His very presence, the most cherished position of all: the reward that we will lose if we are not faithful servants.

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Are you listening?

The Church at Thyatira, Part 2

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel....I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.

So, I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.  I will strike her children dead.  Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. (Rev. 2:20-23)

The Bible sometimes uses women symbolically, rather than literally. For example, on a positive note, believers in Jesus Christ are identified as the "bride of Christ."  But then there is the whore (in the KJV) spoken of in the Book of Revelation who represents a false idol, one who draws men away from the Lord:

And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. (Rev. 7:1-2)

 

It is not impossible that the woman in the passage we are studying is actually named Jezebel, but it is more likely that the Lord is calling her by the name of that infamous Jezebel who was married to King Ahab, King of Northern Israel, because of the comparisons between the two concerning the usurping of authority that did not rightly belong to either one of them.

 

Let's look at that Jezebel of old for a moment, and the King of Israel whom she married:

 

In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.  He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. (1 Kings 17:29-33)

 

The first thing against Jezebel is that she was a Baal worshipper and caused her husband, King Ahab, to turn against the God of Israel and to worship Baal instead. Not that she had to twist his arm to do so, as he was already committing "the sins of Jeroboam: (I Kings 12) in worshipping golden calves. He further added to God's anger by raising up an Asherah pole; a wooden pole carved into the image of what they thought the goddess Asherah (Caananite goddess of fertility) looked like.  These poles were often placed right next to the sacred altar of the Lord.  Ahab was evil enough on his own, but scripture reveals Ahab to also be a wimpy sort of king (So Ahab went home sullen and angry...he lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. 1 Kings 21:4); a condition that Jezebel was more than happy to take advantage of.

 

She wrote letters in Ahab's name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles (1 Kings 21:8) falsely accusing an innocent man who was faithful to the Lord, and causing him to be stoned to death. Besides this, she is even more well-known biblically as the tormentor of Elijah, the prophet of God, in an incident involving 450 false prophets over whom she had full control. God took care of the prophets, and also Jezebel in a separate event, in ways that left no doubt as to who the true God was.

 

So how does all of this relate to the woman in the church at Thyatira?

The Thyatiran Jezebel considered herself to be a prophet able to teach men; Ahab's Jezebel raised up 450 men to be false prophets. The Thyatiran Jezebel assumed authority she had not been given by the head of the church (Jesus); Ahab's Jezebel took authority on the sly using her indisposed husband's name and seal. The Thyatiran Jezebel taught believers it was ok to compromise their faith with acts that were specifically and clearly against God (sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols); Ahab's Jezebel did the same as wife of the leader of God's people (Israel) when she brought Baal worship with her by her marriage to Ahab, introducing pagan practices into the nation.

Even so, the Lord was faithful to the message that can be found in every book of the bible, both Old Testament and New: He gave the Tyatiran Jezebel much time to repent, wanting to see none perish. But the one who had deceived so many was still deceived herself, and would not repent.  The Lord sent this letter to the church, then, to warn them of impending judgment on this false prophetess and on all her "children" and chastisement upon His own disobedient children.

There is a distinction made between those who are seduced by Jezebel and those who are considered to be her "children."  It appears that these false teachings and practices had been going on in this church long enough for her to have "birthed" some who had never believed in the Lord at all, but had come into the church through this woman and had always only followed her teachings; versus the ones who had begun in the church with faith in Jesus, and yet been lured away into these abominable practices by this woman's deceptive teachings.  As always with the Lord, the harsher judgment falls to those who lead others astray, who cause His children to "stumble."

But He is warning those who are following her to separate themselves from her evil ways and repent before that judgment comes or they will face "intense suffering" (chastisement from the Lord) as well.  How patient and how merciful is our Lord to give us sinners time and time again to repent!

Yet, just as with the Jezebel of old, once His judgment hits this church and those in it who are deserving of either judgment or chastisement, the world around that church will know Who He is, and that He is the one true God who is able to "search hearts and minds" and repay evil with appropriate judgment.

How appropriate, for example, that the Lord declares that He has a "bed" prepared for this Jezebel, the one who leads other into "beds" of sexual immorality.

But as was mentioned in the last posting, the "thing" that the Lord has against this church is that they "tolerated" such a thing to happen in what was to be a holy community and separate from the world.

We will get into the other characteristics of this church in the next posting.

The Church at Thyatira, Part 1

To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.

Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet.  By teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of foods sacrificed to idols.  I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling.

So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways  I will strike her children dead.  Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.

Now I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan's so-called deep secrets, I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.

To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations - that one will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery - jus as I have received authority from my Father.

I will also give that one the morning star.  Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit has to say to the churches. (Rev. 2:18-29)

This is the longest letter to any of the seven churches.  There is much here for us to ponder and reflect upon, in our quest for the hidden riches that this passage holds for us modern-day believers.

We will start with the manner in which Jesus describes Himself to this church:

-Son of God
-eyes like blazing fire
-feet like burnished bronze.

He presents Himself first and foremost in the fierceness of His power and authority to a church who has not purged itself of sin and false teaching.  He is establishing His authority as God to a church in which a woman has improperly assumed authority to teach, and to teach things that are false; it is clear that neither her teaching nor her authority comes from the Lord or else He would not rebuke her and her followers. Thus He comes as one who is ready to purge the church Himself if necessary.

His eyes of blazing fire, as though having x-ray vision, have located the problems in the church and are prepared to consume them in that fire if repentance does not come quickly.

His feet of steel (burnished bronze) are ready to trample upon that which is not reflecting His holiness in this churcht:

He treads the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God. (Rev. 19:15)

John MacArthur, in his sermon titled Thyatira, the Church that Tolerates Sin, describes the church at Thyatira in this manner:

Here is a church that has been infiltrated by error and sin, a church that has done nothing about it. It takes us back to a very basic understanding that we have to have in regard to the church and that is that the Lord wants His church holy.  He wants His church in every sense intolerant of sin.  The Lord wants His church pure; the Lord is the bridegroom, the church is the bride, and He expects not an adulterous bride, but a chaste virgin, neither adulterous in the sense of engaging in idolatry, not adulterous in the sense of engaging in sexual sin.

We are reminded of two issues Paul had with the church at Corinth; the first issue was about sexual immorality, the second was about eating food sacrificed to idols....the same two issues this church at Thyatira was allowing in their midst without any rebuke or censure.

Regarding sexual immorality, Paul had this to say to the Corinthians:

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself?  Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!  Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body?  For it is said, The two shall become one flesh.  But whoever is united with the Lord is one with Him in spirit.  Flee from sexual immorality.  All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:15-20)

You will recall in Acts 15:20 that the Gentiles were forbidden four things, two of which included sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols, yet here Paul is so quickly having to remind them of things they have been commanded not to do:

Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?  No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.  You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons, too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.  Are we trying to arouse the Lord's jealousy? Are we stronger than He? (1 Corinthians 10:19-22)

If Paul is appalled at the acts of these Corinthians, how much more so is Jesus toward the church at Thyatira?

Thyatira was a city located in what is now modern-day Turkey whose main industry at the time of this letter was textiles and the production of the color indigo which also produced purple. 

A certain woman named Lydia from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God was listening and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. (Acts 16:14).

Because the main thrust of the city was textiles, (and it was a booming business!) trade guilds were popular there, with traits similar to our modern-day unions.  But these were pagan trade guilds, each having their own god to sacrifice to.  Surely, the Christians in Thyatira who were involved in the textile industry felt forced to compromise their faith in order to be a standing member of these guilds, which in all likelihood had the power to grant or deny work to individuals who were not willing to conform to their guild's rituals, including eating food sacrificing to idols, and often sexually immoral practices in the temples of these gods.

They might have withstood, however, and not compromised, even facing poverty as a result, until a certain strongly religious woman entered the church and somehow convinced all of them that compromise "in this particular situation" was justified.

We will get into details about this "Jezebel" in the next posting.

The Church at Pergamos, Part 3

Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (Rev. 2:17)

The church at Pergamos had some within it who held to the doctrine of Balaam, teaching believers it was ok to eat things sacrificed unto idols and even to commit fornication.

The church also had some that held with the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, a thing that the Lord declared He hates.

The first theory of who the Nicolaitans were has been discussed in an earlier posting regarding the church at Ephesus.  But the second theory is best described by Zola Levitt in his small booklet titled The Seven Churches, published in 1980:

...comes from a literal translation of the word Nicolaitane, which means 'to conquer the people'.  This may refer to the establishing of a hierarchy or a priestly order in the early church, dividing the believers into superior and inferior ranks.  In reality the brotherhood of Christians is an equal one (Matthew 23:8) and we are all level at the cross.  There are no important Christians.  The Church is entirely a group of convicted sinners.  In reality the leadership of a proper church are servants of the people; pastor means shepherd, and the pastor is commissioned to 'feed the flock'; elders and deacons were to serve the people in spiritual and administrative roles respectively.  There is no man after the cross who is spiritually superior to any other man.  Those churches who establish an order of ranks and levels of importance among their clergy are guilty of this very heresy. It is perfectly correct, of course, for those in the church with spiritual gifts to exercise those and to lead the brethren in those areas.  Teachers teach, administrators administrate, and givers give.  Because of the way the gifts have been distributed by the Holy Spirit certain brethren will predominate in certain areas.  The idea, however, of an Christian bowing down to any other Christian is abhorrent to the true Gospel.  Peter displayed a fitting Christian humility on the occasion of the salvation of the first Gentile:

And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.  But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man (Acts 10-25-26).

Jesus tells the church that these false doctrines need to be removed from the church, and quickly, or he will fight against them [the unrepentant sinners] with the sword of His mouth.

And He had in HIs right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in His strength. (Rev. 1:16)

And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (Rev. 19:15) 

And the remnant [of the unrepentant ones] were slain with the sword  of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. (Rev. 19:21)

If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. (Deut. 32:41)