Matthew 10:12: Luke 12:8; Romans 10:9; 1 John 2:23,4:15; Revelation 3:7-13

Summary: The sixth church that Jesus addressed received no words of rebuke or chastisement. It was faithful to the Gospel, open to opportunities, and will be delivered from its enemies and the coming hour of trial upon the world.

The seven churches of Revelation 2-3 were literal, authentic, verifiable places of worship in the region of Asia Minor within the boundaries of the Roman Empire. These churches are not the product of allegory, nor are they tales of mystics and sages of ancient days. There is nothing written in the Holy Scriptures that resembles legend, fable, or myth. People who make such claims demonstrate their ignorance of the Bible’s contents or have allowed their pride in the form of pseudo-intellectualism to cloud any honest perception of the Word of God.

Each church and its problems or commendations reflect churches throughout history. When we read about them, do we stop to think that the churches we attend (or should) might be going through the same dilemmas and correct course?

In these last days when apostasy is running rampant, are we becoming content with things as they are and allowing the world and our own apathy to lead us down the broad road and not the narrow as Jesus commanded? Have we abandoned sound doctrine and faithful teaching of the Scriptures in favor of trends, fads, and relevance that mean nothing in terms of eternity?

The churches of Ephesus, Pergamos, Thyatira, and Sardis were heading down that road, and the Lord Jesus, who is the Chief Shepherd (John 10:14, 27-30; 1 Peter 5:1-4), gave each of them a word of rebuke and caution for their potential slide into uselessness for the Kingdom of God.

Of the seven churches, only two received words of commendation from the Lord Jesus. The first was Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11), which was undergoing severe persecution and experiencing material poverty. Jesus told them they were spiritually wealthy for remaining faithful to Him and the Gospel. The second church, given words of commendation, was located in the city of Philadelphia. This church was the smallest of the seven, yet large in its accomplishments for the glory of God, and He did not let that go unrecognized.

Philadelphia was sound, solid, and spiritual. This was a church that took opportunities to spread the Word. The city was located in a narrow pass between two mountain ranges, a literal “doorway” between Asia Minor and Asia proper, used as a military “buffer city.” Enemy armies attempting to go through the narrow pass were delayed from advancing by forces located at Philadelphia.

The city was named for Attalus II Philadelphus, the king of Pergamos. Attalus had a tremendous love for his brother Eumenes. This brotherly affection was known in the Greek language as “PHILADELPHIA” – “all who love their brother.”

Philadelphia was also subject to earthquakes and tremors, and its citizens often had to flee from the area in order to avoid injury or worse. Like the other cities of the Roman Empire, Philadelphia had its share of temples and altars dedicated to the numerous deities of the times. On a historical note, Philadelphia’s Christian influence lasted until around 1000 A.D. during the period of the Byzantine Empire, which was gradually being overrun by Muslim armies seizing the territories of what had at one time been the possessions of Rome.

In Revelation 3:7-13, we read that the Lord Jesus has established His Divine and absolute authority over the church. He is the Head. It is His will and expectations upon which we must focus.

He approached this church as He did the others, showing them His glory, His sinless and perfect nature, and as the One to whom all creation and eternity gives its testimony and truth (Mark 1:24; Luke 1:35). He declares Himself to be the Holy One (1 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25; 1 Peter 2:22), and because He IS holy, He gives us the desire to walk in His ways as the means of paying homage to Him. He IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), and any church worth its existence must focus upon and affirm this fact. When a church keeps its eyes on Jesus, it will do what is pleasing in His eyes and turn from the world’s wicked and worthless opinions and expectations (1 John 2:15-17).

Philadelphia stayed on track, abhorring that which is evil and not afraid to call out those who were false teachers and covert enemies of the Word and sound teaching. They persevered in their faith and had not wavered in their commitment to Jesus. The enemies of Christ would inevitably bow to Him (Hebrews 9:27; Philippians 2:9-11), and there would be a day when the church would be delivered (Greek: TEREO EK) from the coming wrath of God that would fall upon the earth for its rebellion against Him. This promise is noted in verse 10 and is one of the “proof texts,” along with John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 to describe the “Rapture,” where true believers in Christ will be “caught up” (Greek: HARPAZO) to meet the LORD in the air at an appointed time in history.

The modern church tends to be content with the fleeting words of fallen and depraved sinners who stubbornly refuse to embrace the eternal riches offered by Jesus. We need to take our eyes off of that which is temporal and fleeting and instead look at what the infallible, inerrant, and all-sufficient Word of God (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:19-21) shows us about the rewards that Philadelphia and every faithful church are to receive from the Lord Jesus for remaining faithful and dedicated to Him.

The Lord Jesus promises His people a place with Him where they will dwell forever, and that He will know all of us by name, indicating eternal fellowship and intimacy with our Creator, Savior, and LORD. This is a call for us to wake from our slumber and to get busy with the things of God and see our work and lives in terms of effectiveness and testimony to the power, glory, and saving grace of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If we are really serious about our faith and devotion to Him, then we should take every opportunity available to share the Gospel with as many people as possible and use the time we have in service to Him. Let us be imitators not only of Christ but of this faithful church that will hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servants.” I would hope that you have the same desire. Stay faithful.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

Before commenting on this subject, there are a few Bible verses that must be read. The first among them is about God’s truthful nature. (ESV – all emphasis is mine)

1.) Numbers 23:19; “God is not man that He should lie, or a son of man that He should change His mind.”

2.) 1 Samuel 15:29; “And also, the glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for He is not a man, that He should have regret.”

3.) Hebrews 6:17-18; “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.”

4.) Titus 1:2; “in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began.”

With humans, there will be changes right up to the end of this earth and until we take our last breath. And we will sin as long as we’re in these mortal fallible bodies (1 John 1:8-10).

There are those who do not actually believe Jesus is a part of the Holy Trinity, and therefore, they do not believe two aspects of the Bible. First, John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” To nonbelievers, this is foolishness, according to 1 Corinthians 1:18.

God is eternal with no beginning, nor will He have any ending. When the “beginning” is mentioned, it is referring to the Creation of the heavens and the earth in the beginning of Genesis. John was telling us that Jesus was there, as was the Holy Spirit. The Godhead makes up the Holy Trinity. In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are One.”

Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Our Savior is truly a part of the Triune Godhead who proved beyond any doubt that He has a love for all of us mortal beings.

Philippians 2:5-11, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

To tie all of this together, Jesus told us why He was here and who He was here for in John 10:14-16; “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.” His own initially were the Jews, and the other sheep were everyone else.

Jesus came for the Jewish nation and was not going to abandon them because of the actions of certain others. He also came for all other humans who would receive and accept Him because of God’s covenant with Abram (Abraham) a number of centuries before. He knew that, overall, more would reject Him than would receive Him, as given in Matthew 7:13- 14. However, as Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, and Romans 10:13 state, all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Even with God’s covenant with Abraham, God made it clear that all of Abraham’s descendants would be honored, as well as all who honored them. As for those who dishonored the “chosen” people, God gave a very plain warning. Genesis 12:1-3; “Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation; and I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you, I will curse, and in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Please note that when God says, “I Will, ” it is His true covenant that He will honor forever.

The above was followed up in Genesis 17:4-8, “Behold My covenant with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant; to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and your offspring all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

This covenant stands today.

Now, where in the Bible does it say that Israel will come back as a sovereign nation that will have to bend to the will of the rest of the world? When Israel made their May 14, 1948 declaration, they were almost immediately attacked from numerous sides by surrounding nations. It is obvious that by the grace of the Father, they were not totally destroyed. Since that time, they have had several attacks from the outside yet have been able to overcome their foes. Even though their land is smaller than what the Father originally gave them, they have taken barren desert and made fertile agricultural plantations for grapes and other crops and have found natural gas and oil deposits within their borders. They even export gas and oil to other nations.

Neighbors around them, and even in different parts of the globe, are jealous of how prosperous Israel has become. Also, the Israeli military is such a mighty force that it deserves respect. Several larger nations are having severe financial issues, and there sits tiny Israel with all those resources. The Ezekiel 38 war is just about a breath away.

Israel has been attacked recently, and the savagery has been horrible. The first attack by Hamas terrorists and Gaza citizens came from the South. Just recently, another attack from the North was begun by another terrorist group – Hezbollah.

So far, Israel has done well. Now is the time for all to pray for Israel as never before.

God has not rejected or replaced His people. Romans 1:16, “for I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for Salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Psalm 122:6; “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they be secure who love you.”

God has continued His covenant with Israel, as time to Him is not the same as it is to us. In 2 Peter 3:8, we read, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.”

For those who do not believe the true Bible is the word of God, we have 2 Peter 1:20-21, “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever prophesied by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Also, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, “All Scripture is breathed out by God, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Even though man has claimed that the Jews have been replaced, God has not changed His mind, and His decision counts. For a person to have salvation, it doesn’t matter if they’re Christian, Jewish, or whatever. As long as they receive and accept Jesus as their Savior, they will have eternal life with Him. There are people who attend every church service possible, but if they aren’t getting the truth, they are still lost.

Right now, approximately 2% of the total worldwide Jewish population is Messianic – believe Jesus is their Messiah. As for evangelicals, the number worldwide is somewhere in the 20% to 30% range. When the Trumpet of God sounds, and there is a shout from an archangel, all of the Messianic Jews and the true believing Christians will be taken up to be kept from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). At the end of the Tribulation, about 2/3 of the Jewish population will have perished, but the remaining 1/3 will totally believe in and accept Jesus as their Savior.

Therefore, would it not be good to accept and receive God’s precious gift given by His Son Jesus before the wrath takes place? Today would not be too early to call out to be saved. Romans 10:9-13 gives the actual steps, and remember, we can speak to God through our minds as well as through our mouths for those who are unable to speak.

In the meantime, pray for all of the people of Israel and the worldwide Jewish population that they will call on Jesus as Messiah. Also, pray for the land of Israel, that the Father will provide protection, strength and safety for everyone there.

All who reject Jesus as their Savior, no matter what nationality, race, or religion they claim to be, will not spend eternity in Paradise. Revelation 20:11-15 gives their eternal fate, and there is no appeal from that judgment.

None of us are perfect. Only Jesus lived a sinless life as a human. We need to rely on His precious sacrifice to be able to be with Him forever. His call to keep us from the wrath could be at any minute now. God will turn no one away who belongs to His Son’s precious flock.

Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com

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