Let's see if we can get this started: I left off at the beginning of the 7 churches. Remember a few things about these passages:



There will always be: (a) Commendation; (b) Condemnation; (c) counsel; and (d) challenge to the church.



Church 1:

Ephesus

Commendation: God knows their works. They have labored and were patient.

Condemnation: They left their first love. God was not being put first in their lives. (Sound familiar?)

Quote: To come to Christ costs nothing; to follow Christ costs something; to serve Christ costs everything!

Counsel: Remember from where they had fallen; repent; do the first works (what were they called to do by Christ?)

Challenge: Hear what the Spirit has to say!



Church 2: Smyrna

Commendation: That there is no condemnation! He knew their works and the tribulations.

Counsel: Fear nothing and be faithful

Challenge: Hear what the Spirit has to say!



Church 3: Pergamum

Commendation: Christ knew their works and where they were living and that they had held fast His name and had not denied the faith. They lived in a place where Satan's throne was evident.



Condemnation: Some of the people held to the teaching of Balaam! Doctrines of evil

Challenge: To overcome and He would give them hidden manna and a white stone with a new name!

Note: Have you ever been in a place that you just "felt" the evil? That's what this place was ... a terrible place to be. This place was satan's headquarters.

Are you tolerant? Do we need to be tolerant of everything? I don't think so. We can get into real trouble when we tolerate everything and just say that we're being tolerant because we're Christians. Be careful of staying friends with someone or in a job in the name of "witnessing". You might get caught!

Gal 6:1 Brethren, even if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; EACH ONE LOOKING TO YOURSELF, LESS YOU TOO BE TEMPTED.

In v 17 a white stone is mentioned ... this is very cool! In ancient times a white stone meant acquittal. If a man had been tried by a court, the jurors published their vote by laying down a white stone, thus signifying that they had freed him of the charge.

another example is that when you were invited to a banquet by the King, you were sent a white stone with the king's inscription on it. You had to have this stone to get into the banquet. What a beautiful illustration ... we hold the white stone in order to get into the King's banquet.

Because of Christ, we receive a white stone of acquittal with a name upon it that is unknown to men. Eternal acquittal!!!!

Church 4: Thyatira

Commendation: I know your works and love and service and faith and patience!

Condemnation: They tolerated an attitude of ungoliness invading the church through women! Jezabel worshipped Baal and thereby followed false teaching.

Women are natural teachers ... we constantly teach our children. We must be careful in our teaching and make sure we are correct and in tune with the Holy Spirit!

Judgment: The death referred to in this scripture is possible the "second death" when all nonbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire.

Counsel: Hold fast until I come

Challenge: Keep the works to the end! They would receive power.


Church 5: Sardis

Commendation: (such as it is) They had a name or reputation for themselves. People had heard and were apparently impressed with this church.

They had done nothing for today ... all for yesterday. What is your testimony today? Is the same as it was yesterday? I hope not.

Condemnation: YOU ARE DEAD!

Counsel: Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die!

Warning: If you don't wake up, Christ will come like a thief in the night, taking from you in secret what you have!

To the faithful ... their garments were not soiled and they will walk with Christ, in white! They are worthy!

Challenge: To him who overcomes! I will not blot his name out of the book of life. This could possibly be the book once all believers have been removed by the Rapture.

It is possible to have one's name taken out of the Book of Life for three reasons:

1. Sinning against God Exod 32:33
2. Not being an overcomer (putting your trust in Christ) 1 John 5:1-4
3. For taking away from the words of the prophecy of Rev. 22:19


Church 7 Philadelphia

Commendation: The doors of opportunity were open for the proclamation of the Gospel
But they had little strength ... small congreations.

They kept the Word! They also obeyed it! They did not deny the name of Christ.

Counsel: Behold I come quickly and they will have a crown!

Challenge: God will make a pillar in the temple of God. Stability. Again, a new name !

WHY A NEW NAME? FOR CHRIST, IT IS THAT THERE WILL BE NAME THAT NOBODY HAS EVER KNOWN BECAUSE IT WILL NOT BE BLASPHEMED OR CURSED! NOBODY WILL BE ABLE TO CURSE THAT PRECIOUS NAME ANY MORE!


Church 6:

Who wouldn't feel protected with these two vicious animals in your house! This is Oscar (stupid dog) and E.J. (Emma, Jr.). Oscar is a Bagle (yes bagle). He's part bassett and part beagle. EJ is a miniture daschund. She is new to the family and is only 10 weeks old. BUT, she got to go to church last night.

The next is of EJ at my office. She's very smart and comes to work with me with I can bring her. She is a very good paralegal!

Have a wonderful day!

Wow, I thought Imight never come back to this blog, but here I am. God is good and He is still on the throne. I have just finished another Emmaus weekend. What a tool God uses with these weekends to refresh and renew our spirits! Being on the team is probably more wonderful than participating as a "pilgrim" as we call the new candidates. To see the faces of those new ones as they are being loved with nothing expected in return. They almost don't know how to receive it. We are all like that, I think. We are taught to give gifts, but we are never taught to receive. We actually do not know how to receive the gift of grace that God gives us so freely. It's more than our little minds can comprehend.

I wish I could put into words what this weekend did for me. On Friday all day I battled with being "scattered". That's about the best way I can describe it. I got up to lead music (which I am usually quite overly prepared for) and first I picked up the wrong book. Then I could not remember the words to the most basic of songs. It was crazy. I even confessed to one of the clergy and he asked if I needed prayer. Of course, I said No. How stupid was I??????? I like to pray for people but when it comes to admitting that I need the prayer, it is so hard for me to confess that I am in the need of prayer. (Yeah, I hear so many of you laughing!).

Later in the day, I heard that someone had said something mean about me. Yep, even at 54, people still get to me! (Ha). I took that all the rest of the afternoon and stewed over it. By the end of the day and the last chapel service occurred, I knew I had to set this matter straight or I could bust or go home. Neither was really an option. It's a little difficult if the music director steps out of place and I knew I had to get my spirit lined up or it would be an awful weekend musically for the pilgrims, and worse still for me.

Now the problem is picking which clergy to speak with. I knew the "something" had been said by two men and there were only four there. Left little room for error. So I picked the one I could trust the most (or felt I could). After all the pilgrims had their chance to speak to a clergy (because they are the most important people on the weekend ... the pilgrims, not the clergy) I chose "my guy". We went into the vestibule and I started blubbering and talking. Guess what! It turned out that he was one of the guys!!!!!!!!!!! How funny God can be!

After I spilled my guts over this situation, we talked for about 30 minutes or so. Everything was straightened out and I know that even though Satan meant it for our downfall, God meant it for good!!! Again, isn't He funny like that! I then was telling my story to one of my dear friends and she said she would pray for me. Next morning, she asked how I was felling about everything. I felt wonderful. Felt like a load had been lifted and that God was again in control (not that He was ever out of control). She said she had prayed for me and that she saw my face clearly before her. She saw many people around me, one of which was a man in a suit (I clearly know who it was now but ... ). She said as she prayed for me, all the people began to leave. I KNOW THAT I KNOW THAT I KNOW, SATAN WAS USING THOSE PEOPLE AGAINST ME. My mind was not where it should have been and now, God was allowing me to be free to sing and direct music as was my job.

The rest of the weekend went by quickly, and yet not so quickly. The pilgrims laughed, cried, sang, played and anything else that God would allow them do and they were filled to the brim with agape love and God's precious spirit. How wonderful is that???!!!

Thanks be to His unmerited grace and mercy to allow us to keep having a part in His plan. Thanks for letting me share!

Love to all and I'll be back very soon with the continuation of Revelation for those interested. Maybe I'll even learn to post pictures and make this a little more interesting!

This will be the last blog I will do. I am sorry that I cannot keep up with this but there are things in my life that are keeping me from doing this right now. Please pray for me as I try to deal with life issues and maybe some day I will return to this blog. But for now, it's done.

Isn't this a great "shroom picture? I took it one day and for some reason, I just love it. Just something wild and ugly growing in the yard! :)

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Thought I would try to play "catch up" today while it's raining. That really has nothing to do with anything, just my reasoning.

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John's picture of Christ ...

" ... one like the Son of man "

He was "manlike" in appearance. "The Son of Man" is one of the most frequent titles Jesus applied to Himself in Scripture.

" ... clothed with a garment down to the foot"

Typical of the long robes of the high priests as they ministered in the Holy Place in the Temple.

"... girded about the breasts with a golden girdle."

Symbol of strength and authority. The average working man wore a short tunic of loose fitting clothing. Only those in authority wore a girdle (or belt).

... His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow:

antiquity and the vision of Daniel in Daniel 7:9-13 ... "The Ancient of Days"

... His eyes were like a flame of fire"

Ever seen someone really angry???? Their eyes tell it all and Christ is angry at some of the things He must tell John and say to His Church.

... his feet like fine bronze

Bronze speaks of judgment. Remember the brazen (bronze) altar at the opening of the Temple of Meeting?

... his voice like the sound of many waters

Maybe something like Niagara Falls. Never been there but am told that you cannot hear over the roar of the water. Men cannot hear His voice today but they will hear it then and it will not be stilled again.

... and He had in His right hand seven stars

The seven stars are the seven angels of the church. Could be either of two things: (a) The messengers appointed by God to lead local congregations (i.e. pastors, leaders, teachers) or (b) actual angels appointed to each church. The objection to the angel theory is that if they are angels, they have failed to keep The Church pure. Even though angels are supernatural ... they are not divine.

... out of His mouth went a sharp two edged sword

Ephesians 6 refers to the Word of God as the Sword of the Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword. There will be no defense against the Word of God in that day of Judgment.

... His countenance was as the sun shineth in His strength.

The divine nature of Christ. In Matthew 17 Peter, James and John saw Jesus in His divine glory for a brief time at the transfiguration. John's reaction to this was to fall down "as dead" at Christ's feet. This was the same John who felt close enough to Jesus to lay his head on his chest while reclining at dinner. Now he is knocked cole by the Glory of God!

Clouds?

You will never look at clouds the same way after this lesson. Or at least I don't. Main thing to remember ... CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN! It's not a fairy tale or some made up story, it's the absolutely truth!



Acts 1:11



This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.



How did He go? In a cloud (or clouds).



Acts 1:9



And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.



Look up Ezekiel 10:1-5; 18-19; 11:16-25 and read about the clouds. What are they? They are God's movement! God's very presence. So when Scripture tells us that Jesus was taken up in a cloud ... God is wrapping His very own self around His Son and taking Him Home!!!! (Can you see me jumping up and down and clapping my hands!) What a beautiful picture!



Matthew 24:30



And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming IN THE CLOUDS of heaven with power and great glory.



EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM! How is this possible. Duh, internet, CNN, ESPN, anything else satellite that we now have. Many years ago this was thought impossible that EVERY EYE could see something at one time but it's not so impossible to us!



Jesus Himself said to Caiaphas in Matthew 26:64



I say until you, "hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, coming IN THE CLOUDS of heaven.



Matthew 24:30-31



And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man COMING IN THE CLOUDS of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.



It is no wonder that God predics that "all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him."



The ones that have rejected the Christ and are eternally lost will wail.



If this book teaches nothing else, it clearly shows that JESUS CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN TO JUDGE THIS WORLD.



Read Rev 1:9-20



The early church was not given to the teaching that separated the clergy with the laity. This separation has done much harm in the churches of today. John was the oldest living apostle of our Lord at the time of this writing. Instead of calling attention to the fact that he was an apostle, he chose to identify with the people of the day. As a brother and companion in the tribulation. The tribulation that John was speaking of was that of the early church that was being persecuted. It had already claimed the lives of Peter and Paul and probably most, if not all, of the other apostles. John was possibly about 90 when this book was written. He was still refusing to stop preaching and glorifying God. Don't we all want to be that way. I want to be praising Jesus and God when I go out of this world!



v 10 refers to being "In the spirit on the Lord's Day".



Any day of the week is the Lord's Day and we can be in the spirit on any day of the week.



7 churchs of John's day were literal churches with which John was very familiar. Why might these 7 have been chosen?





7 basic divisions of church history. The study of history reveals that the Church has gone through seven basix periods or stages.



7 types of churches that exist today. Some trends are still in existence even in our own day.



7 characteristics that can exist in any church.



We can see that these 7 churches comprise 7 methods of attack by Satan on the Church or individual Christians within the Church.



Remember the 7 lampstands (The Church) ... a fitting description for The Church. Just as a lampstand does not give off a light of its own (it gets it's light from another source, whether electricity or fire, etc) likewise we do not give off our own light but that light that comes from Christ in our lives. Without Him, we have no Light.

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Wow, finding the time to do this is so difficult. As most of you know, I am a "legal flunky" for a domestic attorney here in Bowling Green. Sometimes family life of others really gets in the way of my time and my life. Always remember to pray for those getting divorces, fighting custody battles for their children and adoptions which are both wonderful and sad. I like the "wonderful" part! :) I'll try to do better