Revelation 6's fallen star

Revelation 6:

The Final Seal Judgments

Revelation 6:9-17

Timothy McKeown 

The first four seal judgments, or the four horsemen, represent the peaceful world conquest by the antichrist (1^st seal), the taking of peace from the earth, killing, and a great sword (2^nd seal), the world-wide famine, an inflationary economy, and the world’s wealth is protected (3^rd seal), and one-fourth of the world dying from war, starvation, martyrdom, and “beasts” of the earth. 

Note: this is the only place where “beast” (Gr.: therion) is not linked with the antichrist or the false prophet.
Antichrist: 11:7, 13:1-4, 14-15, 17-18, 14:9,11, 15:2, 16:2, 10, 13, 19:19-20; 20:4, 10;
Beast ridden by woman/whore: 17:8, 11-13, 17:3, 7, 11-13, 17:16-17;
False Prophet: 13:11-12. 

It’s possible that this foreshadows the two beasts killing people and especially believers in the Great Tribulation. After the fourth horseman of Death, followed by Hades, comes a scene from heaven.

 

⁹ When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. ¹⁰ And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” ¹¹ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

 

The fifth seal depicts those who have been killed for the word of God and the testimony. Isaiah 34:2-3 says that God gave the nations for judgment and describes a stench because of the corpses. John does not list how many are slain, but these are among the first and they reveal at least five truths:
 ¹⁾ The dead are aware of events on earth and care about justice of those responsible.
 ²⁾ There is a concept of time and are told to wait “a little while longer,” so time in heaven is comparable to time on earth.
  ³⁾ While they have not been resurrected yet (see Revelation 20:4-6), they can receive robes, which they wear in Revelation 7:9.
 ⁴⁾ Saints cry in anguish, remembering their injustice, but recognizing God as “holy and true.” At some point in the future, God will wipe away their tears (Revelation 7:17, 21:4 with Isaiah 25:8).
 ⁵⁾ They were killed for word of God and testimony of Jesus (compare to Revelation 20:4, 12:11 and 17, and Revelation 1:9).

Why under the altar? According to John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible, “burning coals were taken off from the altar …and were brought in within the vail (sic), where incense was put upon them, which covered the mercy seat” (See Leviticus 16:12-13). Faithful martyrs are brought into heaven, like the burning coals were brought into the holy of holies, and with the prayers, are a sweet aroma of sacrifice before God (see Revelation 8:3-4).

It may be that this fifth seal is an interlude showing all of those who have been martyred during the Tribulation, and the sixth and seventh seal are at the end of the Tribulation. If so, the trumpet and bowl judgments would occur prior to the sixth seal being broken. See more about this at the end of the study. 

¹² I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. ¹³ And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. ¹⁴ Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

This parallels with Isaiah 34:4 and with an inexplicable event which occurred less than 100 years ago.

On June 30, 1908, what is believed to be a meteor or a comet vaporized above the earth with fantastic consequences near the Tunguska in Russia. An eyewitness described what he saw: “I suddenly saw that directly to the North… the sky split in two and fire appeared high and wide over the forest. The split in the sky grew larger, and the entire Northern side was covered with fire. At that moment I became so hot that I couldn't bear it, as if my shirt was on fire; from the northern side, where the fire was, came strong heat. I wanted to tear off my shirt and throw it down, but then the sky shut closed, and a strong thump sounded, and I was thrown a few yards…After that such noise came, as if rocks were falling or cannons were firing, the earth shook, and when I was on the ground, I pressed my head down, fearing rocks would smash it. When the sky opened up, hot wind raced between the houses, like from cannons, which left traces in the ground like pathways, and it damaged some crops. Later we saw that many windows were shattered, and in the barn a part of the iron lock snapped.”

The mass of the object has been estimated at about 100,000 tons and the force of the explosion at 12 to 40 megatons of TNT, 2,000 times the force of the atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima in 1945. It destroyed everything within a radius of 20 miles. Four hundred miles away, fishermen were knocked from their boats. A black rain fell over the valley and scabs broke out on animals not destroyed by the blast.

While the Tunguska explosion was not a fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecy, it is easy to imagine what devastation would occur if one or more “falling stars” actually hit the earth, and even split into various parts “as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.” According to reports, that one meteor sent shock waves around the world twice. So devastating was that singular event that Vladimir Shaidurov of the Russian Academy of Sciences has theorized that the current global warming trend which has been experienced over the last hundred years could have been caused by the Tunguska Event. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060314170208.htm)

The sun turning black is not likely a solar eclipse, they are frequent, predictable and limited in scope (a partial eclipse went over Israel this year and a full eclipse went over Turkey). While lunar eclipses make the appearance of the moon “like blood,” they are even more frequent than solar eclipses. Something of a magnitude greater than a natural occurrence is mandated from the text.

 

¹⁵ And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, ¹⁶ and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! ¹⁷ For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

 

The sixth seal concludes similar to that of Matthew 24:29-31 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened (not blackened), and the moon will not give its light (not like blood); the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” 

However on a closer reading there are some differences (it occurs after the tribulation, just before Christ’s return, see also Mark 13:25). Also, later on in Revelation, there are more catastrophes in the sky (Revelation 8:12, 9:2, 16:8) and the islands “flee away” and the mountains will not be found (not just be “moved”).

While the beginning of the Tribulation is bad, imagine the earth becoming so violently rocked that Isaiah says, (from the people of the earth’s vantage point), the stars shake and the earth moved in its orbit. “Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will move out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts and in the day of His fierce anger.” (Isaiah 13:13) This occurs at the end of the Tribulation, described also by Joel “The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.”(Joel 3:15-16).

Jesus does give a description like Revelation 6:16 in Luke 23:30, but not in the “Olivet Discourse.” In Luke, He is not speaking of the end times. Rather, it is likely in regard to the destruction of Jerusalem, as He was speaking directly to people and their children who might be living in 70 A.D. Hosea also said there would be some who would call on the mountains and hills to fall on them as far back as the Assyrian captivity (Hosea 10:8).

The description Jesus gives in the Olivet Discourse is more like the end of the Great Tribulation, which is also found in Isa 13:6-10 “Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will be limp, every man's heart will melt, and they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; they will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; they will be amazed at one another; their faces will be like flames. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.” Hebrews 12:26 suggests more than one “shaking” of the earth and sky, based on Haggai 2:6-7, but again this is just before “the Desire of the Nations” appears.

If the seals are chronological and are completed before the trumpet judgments begin, then the people of the earth very well may mistakenly think He “who sits on the throne” and Christ is about to return. However, Revelation records that there are still more things which will take place in chapter 7 and following. If, on the other hand, the seals (especially the final two) run overlappingly and culminate with the final trumpet and bowl judgments, then all that is recorded in Revelation 7 and thereafter occurs during the fifth seal. The sixth and seventh seal would then occur just prior to the Lord’s return in chapter 19. 

Either way, the final seal judgments reveal to us how awesome is our God.

Revelation 6, the Four Horsemen

Revelation 6:

The Opening Seal Judgments

 Revelation 6:1-16 

The Seal judgments: In chapters 4 and 5, the scene is in heaven. Chapter six begins in heaven, but with a view on earth in the midst of the Tribulation. Many good and godly people have debated whether or not these seven seals occur first, and then followed by the trumpets, bowl judgments chronologically (LaHaye, John Phillips,), or whether some (especially the final two seals, trumpets and bowls) occur simultaneously and overlappingly (Walvoord). 

Some elements of Revelation (chapter 12, for instance) is not chronological, and in numerous Biblical passages, there is a “mountain peak” view of prophecy; that is, a prophet will see an event in the future which appears to be one event, but is actually separate. A good rule of thumb is “Where the Bible is clear, we can be clear; where the Bible is unclear, we can dialogue.”

I personally like how Clarence Larkin explained it: “A rocket fired into the air may burst into ‘seven stars,’ and one of these stars into ‘seven other stars,’ and one of the second group of stars into a third group of ‘seven stars.’ So the ‘Seventh’ Seal includes the ‘Seven Trumpets,’ and the ‘Seventh’ Trumpet includes the ‘Seven Vials.’ ”

The Seven Seals are divided into two parts, beginning with the famous “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.” While the imagery is similar to Zechariah 1:8ff, these are not the same horsemen. 

¹ Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;  and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” ² And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

 The word “Anti-Christ” is not used in Revelation, but here are some other names of “the Beast”

Seed of Satan (Genesis 3:15)

Little Horn (Daniel 7:8)

King of Fierce Countenance (Daniel 8:23)

Prince That Shall Come (Daniel 9:26)

Desolator (Daniel 9:27)

Vile Person (Daniel 11)

Willful King (Daniel 11:36)

Idol Shepherd (Zechariah 11:17)

Man of Sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

Son of Perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

Wicked One (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8)

Lawless One (2 Thessalonians 2:8)

Antichrist (1 John 2:22)

First Horseman (Revelation 5)

Beast of the Sea (Revelation 11:7) 

“Come and see.” Some versions leave off “and see,” but each time the call is issued to come, John says, “and I looked,” so it seems that “Come and See” is a good translation and is issued to the Apostle John. While many have inferred that simply because the first horse is white, that this must be Jesus Christ. It would be extremely unusual and incongruous for Christ to be linked so closely with the other three horsemen. 

The Anti-Christ is to be revealed after the restraining Holy Spirit is taken away (i.e., the Rapture). So, for him, the Anti-Christ, to be the first horseman is most likely, and the beast will come conquering. Some have said that since there are no arrows with him but only a bow that he will conquer peacefully. However, there are many Old Testament passages where a bow meant war (Ps. 18:34, Isa. 21:15). Whatever peace there is, the second horseman will take away. 

The first horseman does not have the royal diadem crowns which Christ will have (Rev. 19:12), but rather the stephanos crown or wreath as one is given to earthly winners. He will present himself to be a “messiah” or perhaps even “the Messiah.” 

No one will be able to make war with him, but he will be given power make war with the saints and even overcome them. He will have world-wide power (Rev. 13:4,7). The chaos that will occur after the Rapture is unimaginable and the order of the first four seals is strikingly similar to Matthew 24:4-8, the beginning of sorrows.

 

³ When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.”    ⁴ Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.

The color of red purrhos used here is similar to the word purosis which is translated “burning” in Rev. 18:9, and 18. This horseman will take peace from the earth, the peace Paul referred to as mistakenly coming in 1 Thes. 5:2-4 “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’  then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.” 

The “great sword” with this horseman is not rhomphaia, a soldier’s sword used in Rev. 6:8, but machaira, a machete-like sword used for slitting the throats of animals or even people, as seen in martyrs’ deaths in Heb. 11:37. It is identical to those used by Muslims today who execute hostages. That it would be a “great” sword means massive devastation, but only the “beginning of sorrows.” Some (Clyde Cox, Walvoord) have said this could be the false prophet, the associate to the Anti-Christ.

 

⁵ When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

 The black horse represents famine, shown in the fact that a quart of wheat costing an entire day’s worth of wages. This indicates a hyper-inflation economy, one in which it would likely hasten a system in which no one could buy or sell without the mark of the beast (Rev. 13:17). However, not all will be impoverished as “oil and wine,” symbols of possessions of the rich, will not be hurt or damaged or spoiled. So while food would be a scarcity and famine be pervasive, special consideration would be given to the luxuries of life. 

Thus the rich will get richer and the poor will be poorer and the middle class will likely be done away with, likely to go the poor.

 

⁷ When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” ⁸ So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

The color here is the color a person turns after death, yellowish-green. Death Himself is personified upon this rider, followed by Hades (KJV: “Hell”). It could mean that here, one-fourth of the world’s population will be killed or that on one-fourth of the earth, death will reign with war (sword), famine (hunger), and wild animals (beasts of the earth). 

If it means one-fourth of the world’s population dies, no wonder than beasts will roam the earth. The beasts could even be the cause of the death of many, as rodents were carriers of diseases in many of the world’s plagues. 

LaHaye and others also say that the “beasts” could refer to human governments, bent on the destruction and annihilation of the world’s population. Massive killings are used to solidify power and instill fear in domination. 

If the seals, trumpets and bowls are chronological, then many who have died were in fact killed for their faith in God. However, the fact that Hades follows death indicates that many are killed who are not saved. If the three judgments run concurrently rather than chronologically, then the fifth seal martyrs are those who have died as a result of actions from the Anti-Christ shown later in the book of Revelation. The first four seals so far are all given from heaven’s perspective of events going down on earth, as is the fifth seal.

Some of the similarities of the seals, trumpets and bowls are seen below.

 

Sixth and Seventh Seal	Sixth and Seventh Trumpet	Seventh Bowl
1. A great earthquake 2. Voices, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake 3. Angel cried with a loud voice 4. Every mountain and island taken out of their way 5. --- 6. --- 7. Day of his wrath is come 8. Silence in heaven 9. Great multitude in heaven 10. ---	1. A great earthquake 2. Lightnings, voices, thunderings and an earthquake 3. Great voices in heaven              4. ---   5. Great hail 6. Temple opened; voices heard 7. Thy wrath is come 8. Mystery of God is finished 9. Time of the dead 10. Kingdom given to Christ	1. A great earthquake 2. Voices, thunders, lightnings and a great earthquake 3. Great voice from heaven 4. Every island fled away and the mountains were not found 5. Great hail 6. Great voice out of the temple 7. Fierceness of his wrath 8. “It is done” 9. First resurrection (ch. 20) 10. Christ reigns 1,000 yrs (ch. 20)

      

      And some of the similarities in various prophecies are seen in the chart below.

 

Joel (Joel 2)	Jesus (Matt. 24)	John (Rev. 6)
1. In the last days (Acts 2:17) 2. Sun into darkness, moon into blood 3, 4. Wonders in heaven . . .   5. . . . and in the earth 6. Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD	1. After the tribulation 2. Sun darkened, moon does not give its light 3. Stars fall from heaven              4. Powers of the heavens shaken 5. --- 6. Then the Son of Man appears in the sky	1. At the sixth seal 2. Sun became black, moon like blood 3. Stars of heaven fell to earth 4. Sky receded as a scroll 5. Mountains, islands disappear 6. Jesus is seen / day of his wrath has come

 

A Renewed Hope for a New Year

 (Published 1/1/2021 in the Killeen Daily Herald)

A Renewed Hope for a New Year

Corona Virus; aka, COVID-19.

It dominates the news. It interrupts our conversations. It polarizes our population. It weakens our businesses, deflates our economy, and yes, it takes our health and even our lives. Its very threat cowers us in isolated homes which, even then, may not be sufficient to shelter us from the ravages of infection.

Never in our lifetimes have so many wanted to wish, “out with the old and in with the new” than on last night’s New Year’s Eve. And yet, there is a despair within many that this new year will be no better and may likely be only worse than 2020.

Sure, there is the vaccine. But a vaccine cannot undo the death of a deacon in our church, the loss of my wife’s best friend from childhood, or the sudden vacancy of a grandmother and grandfather in an east Texas family whom I formerly pastored. Or the deaths of 345,000 Americans and the soon to be 2 million in our world.

Despite all the optimism we can muster in our hearts, there is a grim reminder that there is a Grim Reaper.

One politician made a forecast for the next few months as a “dark winter”. Like the doomed occupants of a sunken submarine, many want to tap out a cryptic message to their crystal balls: “Is there any hope?”

If you haven’t noticed, the Bible has some truly dreary tales. Eden’s paradise barely lasted the first two chapters of Genesis. Moses inherited a murmuring bunch of naysayers after he (with God’s help) delivered them from 400 years of slavery. David, a man after God’s heart, bewailed that “All night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears.” There is even an entire book in the Bible called “Lamentations”. And while we celebrated that little Babe born in Bethlehem last week, I think we all know how that turned out.

Still, we are called “People of Faith.” The Christian’s bedrock foundation is built in and upon Hope.

The Bible tells tales of sorrow, but its tales do not leave us there in despondence. Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Hebrews 6:19 says this: “We who have fled for refuge have a strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.” 

This upcoming year, 2021, is behind a “curtain” of uncertainty. As our hope for a better year enters behind that veil of the unknown, we have a “sure and steadfast anchor” in our souls that Jesus has already traveled into the future, as a “forerunner on our behalf.”

You see, our refuge is not in a vaccine, nor in a president, nor in a cheery, optimistic hopeful promise of a prosperous New Year. Our weary world can rejoice because the One who holds the future has gone before us on our behalf.

His nail-scarred hands are not nervously wringing together in uncertainty. They beckon us to come unafraid because He knows that nothing will happen that we, together with Him, cannot handle.

His soothing voice announces in Isaiah 46:10, “I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning. From the ancient times to things not yet done, I proclaim, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’ ”

His assurance of hope comes from eyes which see into the future where we cannot peer. “The eyes of the LORD your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year,” (Deuteronomy 11:12).

As wonderful as His all-seeing eyes may be, and regardless of comforting words of the Scriptures, and even as matchless as His experienced hands may show the wounds of His saving love for me, there is a phrase that gives me even a greater hope and faith in the future.

“God is too wise to be wrong, too good to be bad. When you cannot trace God’s hand, trust His heart.”

Wishing you a happy, and hopeful, New Year.

Timothy McKeown is Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church of Killeen, where he has served since 2010.

7th Church: Laodicea

To the Angel of the Church of Laodiceans

Revelation 3:14-22 

Historical Setting: Laodicea, the final church Jesus addresses, was a city rich monetarily as well as intellectually and culturally. It lay within eyesight of two other cities, Hierapolis and Colossae, whose church had received an epistle from Paul three decades earlier. Paul apparently had also written a letter to Laodicea (see Colossians 4:16), and the early Latin Vulgate contains a letter purporting to be the one referred to in Colossians, but no Greek version remains, and the Latin version contains nothing original. It had been hurt by an earthquake in 60 A.D., but in its pride and wealth, it rejected any help from Rome (this earthquake also disqualifies an early date for the book of Revelation to be written in the 60s, as some preterists would suggest). Laodicea had a medical school which treated people with eye problems and exported eye salve. The city also exported black material cloth wool, a contrast to the white garments Christ urges them to buy.

Name Defined:  Laodicea was named for Laodice, wife of Antiochus II, and mother of Seleucus II Callinicus, both rulers in the empire following Alexander the Great, slightly less than 300 years before Christ. The name literally means either “the people rule” or “the nations judged” and again the sovereign God applies this name for a church in which historically and prophetically, the people exalt themselves, rather than God, and await God’s judgment.

Church History Parallel: “The Prosperity Church” (20^th Century-Tribulation)-What era of all of church history has there been a stronger parallel to the Laodiceans than in the 20^th Century Western Society: rich with material good, but lukewarm, poor, and blind spiritually.

     I.      Christ’s Description- (Revelation 3:14)

1. The Amen

2. The Faithful, True Witness

3. The Beginning (Gr: arche arch, architect) of the Creation Of God

   II.      Commendation-Works known, but no commendation for the works (Revelation 3:15a)

 III.      Condemnation (Revelation 3:15b, 17b)

1. Neither cold nor hot.

2. Were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked

 IV.      Commands (Revelation 3:18-19)

1. Buy from Me gold refined in the fire to be rich

2. Buy white garments, that you may be clothed

3. Anoint eyes with salve so they may see.

4. Be zealous and repent

  V.      Consequences (Revelation 3:16-22)

1. Because lukewarm, Christ will vomit church out of His mouth

2. Christ will rebuke and chasten those he loves

3. He stands at the door and knocks.

4. If they hear His voice, open the door, He will come in, dine with

5. Overcomers to sit with Christ on throne

¹⁴ And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; ¹⁵ I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot: I would you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. ¹⁷ Because you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and do not know that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: ¹⁸ I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich; and white clothes, that you may be clothed, and that the shame of your nakedness does not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. ¹⁹ As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. ²⁰Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if anyone hears my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me. ²¹ To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. ²² He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.

 

Church ruled by the people: It is interesting that the only church in which Christ mentions nothing good to say for a church, that he calls it the “church of the Laodiceans” and not the “church in Laodicea.” It is as though it is a church of people and not the church of Jesus Christ in Laodicea. The name itself Laodicea means “ruled by the people,” and the church was not ruled by Christ, but by the people.

HIS IDENTIFICATION: Jesus identifies Himself as “The Amen,” a transliterated word from the Greek (see Matthew 5:18) and Hebrew (see Deuteronomy 27:15 and following) words “AMEN,” which means “so be it!” and used by Christ when He says “Verily, verily.” To a church which is very self-deceived, self-ruled, and self-sufficient, Jesus reveals Himself as “the real thing—the faithful and true witness.”

Secondly, Jesus says He is the beginning of the creation of God. The word beginning makes it clear that He is the architect of the creation. He’s the one who made all things. It is the same word used in Revelation 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13, “The beginning and the end.” Colossians 1:16 says “all things were made by Him and for Him.” He is the beginning and head of the church (Colossians 1:18). A solid reminder to the final church to be on the earth and the church which will likely be there after the rapture, unless they repent.

INDIFFERENCE: The church was lukewarm, spiritually and works wise. The city was in a valley and had built aqueducts from the mountains to bring the cold water down to them. By the time the water reached them it was lukewarm. Nearby there were hot springs, but by the time the water was taken up to Laodicea, it was no longer hot; it too was lukewarm. The church was passive in the things of the Lord. Professing to be Christians, it had an outward appearance of being a good and financially blessed people. Yet self-reliance, rather than Christ-reliance, made Him sick, spewing them out of His mouth.

POVERTY: The Laodicean church was the opposite of the Smyrna church. They thought they were rich, yet were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. The gold that is tried by fire is what Peter referred to: “that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:7.

WHITE GARMENTS: Laodicea was known not only for its hot and cold waters, but also for its making of black glossy wool garments, made from black sheep, which sold for a rich price. But more valuable than earthly clothes of black would be heavenly clothes of white, purchased by the rewards of faithful service here on earth. A rich faith produces clean garments and covers their nakedness. (Photo shows black sheep photographed at Laodicea).

EYESALVE: Laodicea was also known for its university of medicine treating eye problems with salve. Merchants and perhaps even member of the church sold ointments and herbs with a reputation of having great healing power, yet they had no ointment to restore a long-range vision to heaven. The church was spiritually blind, Christ said.

CHRIST’S LOVE: During all this rebuke and chastening is an almost hidden statement of affirmation of Christ’s love, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” Jesus had not given up on the Laodicean church. If the Laodiceans were not beyond hope, so neither is anyone who “hears what the Spirit of the Lord says to the churches.” Rebuke is sometimes translated as reprove and is often found in relation to the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16, 4:2).  Chasten is used with instruction of children, often by the loving discipline of a parent (Hebrews 12:6-7) and often leads to our redemption (1 Corinthians 11:32). To be zealous means to boil with fervor of spirit and hot passion. The call to repentance is a further evidence that Christ wants to be welcomed into the church.

THE DOOR: Look, Christ is at the door, knocking. The door earlier was one that was opened and closed by Christ, yet here it is up to the church to open. Could He not force Himself in? It is obvious Christ is not speaking of a literal door to a church building, but to the hearts of those who profess to be Christians. Christ opens the door to heaven and salvation, but sinners must also open the door to Christ. To sup or dine was to enjoy the last and final meal of the day, a time in which the people relaxed and enjoyed the company of a day’s end (see Luke 17:8 for the same word usage).

What is the call to the church? To hear the voice of Christ, be zealous with fervency of faith and to repent from self-delusion. The result will be a communion meal with Christ in our hearts, in our churches, and ultimately, a meal in heaven at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

 

6th Church: Philadelphia

To the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13

Timothy C. McKeown

     I.      Christ’s Description- (Rev. 3:7)

1. He Is Holy and True (See Rev. 6:10)

2. Has The Key Of David (See Isa. 22:22)

3. Opens And No One Shuts, Shuts And No One Opens (See again Isa. 22:22)

   II.      Commendations (3:8, 10)

1. Power-they have a little strength (Gr: micron dunamin)

2. Perseverance - kept His word (See John 8:51-55; 14:15, 21, 23-24; 15:20; 17:6; 1 Jn 2:5)

3. Proclamation - have not denied My name

4. Patience - kept the word of My patience

                        i.    Christ will keep the church from the hour of temptation

                       ii.    Temptation will try those who remain on the earth

 III.      Condemnation – None for the church (3:9)

1. False Jews (synagogue of Satan)

                        i.    Will worship at the church’s feet (See Isa 60:14)

                       ii.    Will know that Christ loves the church (See Rev. 1:7)

 IV.      Commands (3:11)

1. Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown

  V.      Consequences (3:12)

1. Pillars - Overcomers will be pillars in the temple of God

2. Permanence - They shall go out no more

3. Protection - Written on them will be the names of

                        i.    God Himself (Exodus 23: 20-22, 1 Kings 11:36)

                       ii.    God’s City, the new Jerusalem (see Ps. 46, 2 Kings 21:4)

                     iii.    God’s Son’s new name

Historical Setting: It was a small, young but well-traveled city. Like Sardis, it was destroyed in 17 AD by an earthquake and continued to have tremors for years afterwards. The permanence of Christ (who firmly shuts and opens doors) and the promise of permanence in the heavenly city (“he shall go no more out”) would have been reassuring to this teetering town. After being rebuilt, it received a new name, “Neocaesarea” or “new Caesar” and during the reign of Vespasian, it went by the name of Flavia. By the time of John’s writing, it had returned to the name of Philadelphia.

Name Defined:  Philadelphia was named by King Eumenes II of Pergamum (197-160 BC) as a tribute to his brother and successor Attalus II (159-138 BC) whom he nicknamed "Philadelphos" (Greek=“love for brother”).

Church History Parallel: “The Preferred Church” (18^th Century-Tribulation)-The modern missionary movement is most often traced to William Carey who went to India in 1792. When he expressed his desire for reaching the world with the gospel, he was told, “Sit down, young man, if God wants to save the heathen in India he will do it without your help or mine.” There have always been missionaries throughout Christianity, most notably by the Roman Catholic Jesuits. However, extremists’ views of “predestination” and the infancy of Protestant churches led to a dead, “Sardis” church, often devoid of concern for evangelism. In the 1700s, churches as a whole began to initiate “missionary societies” and collective efforts to reach the lost strategically. The letter to the church of “brotherly love” explains that God alone opens and shuts doors to salvation, and He sets before the church “an open door” . This church does not deny Jesus’ name, sees the conversion of Jews, is loved by Christ, and is kept from the tribulation of the world. 

     

 ⁷ “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”

The fact that God is Holy and True is appealed to again when those who have been martyred call upon Him in Revelation 6:10 (“And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”). When we are going through hard and difficult times, it is wonderful to remember that God is Holy and True. The fact that Jesus holds the key of David recalls to their minds the prophecy of Isaiah 22:22[1] which stated that Eliakim, whose name means “One whom God raises or resurrects”, will carry the key to the House of David. The story in Isaiah shows that Shebna was like an old peg that held vessels on a sure wall, and Eliakim is a new peg on the same wall. Those who put their faith in the old peg will fall, but the new peg will stay strong. The reference to Isaiah shows that Christ and the New Covenant are superior to Judaism and the Old Covenant.

This passage also is reminiscent of Matthew 16:19, which talks about the keys of the kingdom of heaven. “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Things bound on earth are bound in heaven and things loosed on earth are loosed in heaven. The decision or key to heaven is made here on earth only. If we tell others about Christ here on earth, they are freed to go to heaven. God is the one who opens the door, but He commissions us to go and give the key to those here on earth.

⁸ I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

The open door set before the church is the door for evangelism. God does the saving or the “opening” of the door, but He invites us to participate with Him in sharing with others. We will see later that only those who refuse to open the door are the ones who refuse to have Christ come and sup with them (Revelation 3:20[2]).

“A little strength” is mikron  dunamin  (Gr: micron dunamin) with strength being the same word from which we get the word “dynamite.” A little strength with God’s power can be like a little bit of dynamite. Paul uses the word in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”(Both underlined word are “dunamin”.

Keeping the Words of Jesus is a recurring theme in the Gospel and epistle of John. It is the same as eternal life, knowing God (John 8:51-55[3]), loving God (14:15-24), being a servant of Christ and receiving the same type of persecution as Christ (15:20), belonging to God (17:6) and having God’s love perfected in us (1 John 2:5).

Titus 1:16 says that if a person claims to be a Christian, but in his works, he denies God, they are really not a Christian. Likewise, the Philadelphian church did not deny Christ’s name because their Christ-like works, known by Christ, acknowledged His name. To deny Christ means Christ will deny us before God (Matthew 10:33). Peter, who denied Christ three times, has the harshest of words in all of Scripture for those who deny the Lord (see 2 Peter 2), but it is not a verbal denial, but rather the denial of Christ in actions that is so reprehensible. Instead, we must deny ourselves and take up the cross daily and follow Christ (Luke 9:23).

⁹ Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.

This is another strong indication that the church of Philadelphia is not only a church of John’s day, but also a church of prophecy. Jews who reject Christ will someday look upon the Christ whom they had pierced (Revelation 1:7). The evangelizing Philadelphian church era has seen great numbers of Jewish people coming to accept Jesus as their Messiah, beginning in the 1800s and even more in the late 20^th century, according to “Jews for Jesus.” It is ironic that the prophecy of Isaiah 60:14 (“Also the sons of those who afflicted you Shall come bowing to you, And all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet; And they shall call you The City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.”) is actually to be reversed with the Philadelphian church.

¹⁰ Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial (temptation, KJV) which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.

This is another prophecy that the church will be raptured before the Great Tribulation, if this is what Jesus is referring to in the “hour of temptation.” Temptation is the word used almost exclusively by evil and Satan, and sounds like the Great Tribulation which will come upon the “whole world.” The reference of “I am coming quickly” also seems to indicate Jesus’ imminent and sudden return for the church. While we cannot lose our salvation, we can lose some of our “crowns” or rewards.

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

The name of God and the new name of God’s Son are obvious, when we consider that the power of the name means identification. But the name of the city of God, the New Jerusalem, takes on a new significance when we read Psalm 46, which talks about God’s protection in a city. A city and citizenship within that city meant protection and strength and permanence. Jesus holds the key and will give us a permanent place of protection.

Practical Application: If we truly love our brothers, we should witness to them in word and deed.

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[1] “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open.”

[2] “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

[3]  ⁵¹ Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.”

⁵² Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ ⁵³ Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”

⁵⁴ Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. ⁵⁵ Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word.