The Faithful Church - Revelation 3:7-13

Welcome to God First with Brian C. Thomas, a program committed to encouraging you to put God first while viewing life through the window of the Bible. Now, in honor of the one and only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, let's join Brian C. Thomas for today's message. And I thank you for joining me today on the God First Podcast, as I am being joined by my wife, Danita. And we are here to continue our series in the Book of Revelation. And I know that our setup is for you to ask me questions and I will answer. But I want to begin by asking you a question. Are you glad that I am a faithful husband?

Of course. You know, when you stop and think about it for a moment, what if I were the type of husband that every Friday night I went out to see another woman? And let's say that when I get off work, rather than call you, I call another woman to make sure she has everything she wants, everything she desires, everything that she needs.

And then once I make sure that she's taken care of, then I call you. How would that make you feel? I'm very upset and you would be in a lot of trouble.

So it definitely would not be a good marriage, to say the least. But the thing about it is that's the way a lot of people make our Lord feels. That's how it makes God feels, because so many people put other things before God. We will say, well, you know, check out the sports first and see what's happening with the games.

Check my bank account, check things with my job or even your spouse, and we'll put those things first. And then whatever time we have left over, then we'll say we'll give that to God. And we imagine how that makes us feel from the standpoint of a marriage. So imagine how it makes God feel. And he's the one that sacrificed for us. I mean, he's the creator of all things, the supreme being. He he died for us.

He came to earth as a man and he sacrificed so we could have eternal life. But yet that is the treatment that a lot of people give him. And so people are not faithful to him. And a lot of people don't think of it in that way.

But but that is what it's sending. The message to him is that they're not being faithful. So when we think about that, though, the church that we're going to look at today is the opposite. We're going to look at a church that actually was a faithful church. Now, it's refreshing because when we looked at the preceding churches, the preceding three in this series, we found that there was a church that was compromising. There was a church that was corrupt. And then there was a church that was dead.

And so it was rather depressing. But this is a refreshing church. And just to give a little background before we dive into the text, the Church of Philadelphia was somewhat of a throwback to the first two churches in the seven letters of the Churches of Jesus Christ, Ephesus and Smyrna. It was located in the center of Greek civilization. It was founded about one hundred and eighty nine years before Christ. And it actually had a great influence on the ancient world during that time. It was a very prominent church city and it was very vital.

Philadelphia remained an independent Christian city until the end of the 14th century when the Kirks conquered it. So we found a church that was a faithful church, again, a church that had a lot of influence. And we're going to look deeper into it.

So I want to turn it over now to you, my wife, Danita, as the host. Take it away and read our main text for today. OK, we're coming from Revelation three. Verses seven through 13.

And it reads and to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, right? 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. 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. 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 because you have kept my command to persevere. I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.

Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold fast to what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out no more. 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. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Let us have a brief word of prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you, Lord, for this day. We thank you for this great word concerning this church, this faithful church. It is our prayer, Lord, that something would be said that would penetrate our hearts and minds to be more faithful towards you and to be grateful for the great and wonderful things that you have done. We we pray that all things that are spoken that have become is nothing but sound doctrine. And may you be honored and glorified in all things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Amen. So as we continue with a little bit more background on this church, Philadelphia means brotherly love. Then we have a Philadelphia here in the United States of America.

It's called the city of brotherly love. And a lot of people don't know that's biblical. That goes right back to the Bible to this church here at Philadelphia. And it represents when you look at the dispensation periods, it represents the church age that began around 1750 A.D. And it will continue to the Great Tribulation, the seven year tribulation that is still to come.

We found that Sardis came out of Thyatira. And so likewise, Philadelphia came out of Sardis. The church at Philadelphia had a vitality of life.

It was very much in contrast to what we found last week. The dead and cold church, which was the Reformation Church, a church that no one and no church should pattern itself by. But this was a church that had vitality. It was a church that led a great missionary movement that began during this period. A lot of people know about the faith missionary movement that came about.

And so there were factors in this movement like the printing of the Bible in the common language. And that was something that, you know, helped so many people when it came to the gospel. And then there was an increased interest in the second coming doctrine. And of course, here at our ministry, that is something that we stress, the second coming of Christ, as it is greatly ignored in so many walks of the faith in churches, people just ignore the second coming of Christ. But around this time, around 1800 A.D., the premillennial return of Christ, the doctrine was revived. And this led to a zeal for evangelism, because there are people out there that will make the argument that if you believe that Christ is coming before the rapture, they think that you just stop living and you sit around and wait for the return of Christ.

But it has the opposite effect. It gives you a zeal to evangelize, to tell the world Christ is coming soon. Be ready. He could come at any time. And so, again, it is definitely a great character, a characteristic for fulfilling the Great Commission. So going to turn it over to you now.

I'm in the hot seat so you can ask me any questions that you want. OK, so let's first just look back at Revelation three, verse seven, where it reads into the angel of the church in Philadelphia. Right. 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. So who is the angel to the church in Philadelphia?

All right. So the angel to the church in Philadelphia is most scholars would say it is the pastor of the church. So what we have to keep in mind is this letter was written for these specific churches. These were churches that literally existed.

There was a church in that area named Philadelphia, along with the other six that existed in Asia Minor, which is now present day Turkey. And so they had pastors just like we have pastors today. Then there are some that will say it is literally an angel.

So it is somewhat debated. I tend to lean towards thinking that it was a pastor. And so that shows the importance of pastors to churches. I mean, we know they're important anyway, but pastors have a major responsibility and duty. And we find that this angel Christ is sending a message to the church through this angel who could be a supernatural being, but also could be the pastor of the church.

OK, good. And so we look at where it constantly says he who is he who is he who has. So who is he in this in this text?

That is none other than Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And of course, they mention that he's holy. Can you speak more on the term holy?

Yeah. So Christ reminds the church of his holiness. We find in First Peter Chapter one, verse 16 is written because it is written, be holy for I am holy. And when we look at that word holy, we think about being set apart. We think about the term reverend. And that is something that I've spoken about in the past, because we know today that preachers receive the title of reverend oftentimes. And the denomination that we came through was when you become ordained, your title would become reverend.

And the term reverend means one to be revered or the honorable. And I've never liked that term because of the fact that I'm a fallen sinner. You know, I need a savior.

I need the savior just like everyone else. Without him, I would be headed to eternal damnation. And so I don't view myself as anything honorable. I only view God as honorable. And when you look in the scriptures, the word reverend actually is meaning it refers only to God when you look in the scriptures.

So I say that to say not to get sidetracked. But when we look at holy means to be set apart, reverend, sacred and worthy of veneration. And of course, that is what is a characteristic of God. And when we look at that, it may signify that the church of Philadelphia was separated from the world and separated to holiness.

OK, those are some good points. So when it says that he is true, what is the meaning of this exactly? Yeah, you know, I chuckle because we're in an era today in which facts and truth just doesn't seem to matter to a lot of people. But our Lord is referred to as truth in several passages. If we look at John 14, six, he says, I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.

But how often do you hear today? People taking exception to that and saying, well, we all have a God in their many paths to God and we all serve the same God in their many paths. But Jesus said, no, the only way is through me. And so that is the truth. That is the truth of the scripture. And Christ, when we look at him, he is true with perfection.

He is true with completeness. We as human beings, again, we're fallen. We have flaws. We make mistakes. You know, I make mistakes every day.

I get things wrong. But Jesus Christ is true. Jesus Christ is perfect. And there is no truth in the world outside of Jesus Christ. And that's just a message that so many in the world today as we are getting closer and closer to his return. So many people just reject that. They feel like they can come up with their own truths. And people often make decisions now based on feelings and emotions. But truth is truth. And truth is found only in Jesus Christ. Yes, that's exactly right. And also where it mentions that he who has the key of David, I found that interesting. Can you expand on that?

Yeah. So this is referring to the authority of Jesus Christ. If we look back at First Kings Chapter two, verse forty five, we find their throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever. So we know King David in the Old Testament and God made a promise. He said that David would sit on the throne forever. And a lot of people say, well, the Bible is not true because David died a long time ago.

But this is referring to the lineage. We know that Jesus Christ came through the house of David. That is even why the Bible calls him the son of David. But we know that Jesus Christ was not literally in the sense that we look at things from from a human standpoint. He was not the son of David, but is referring to the Messiah, the messianic kingdom that's that's coming.

And it alludes to the fact that someday he is going to rule the earth. And that is why I get excited, because there are people that think that our eternity is going to be spent in heaven. And it is true that when we die today as believers in Christ, we go to heaven.

But we are coming back. Those who have gone to heaven are coming to the earth with Jesus Christ. And we're going to rule and reign with him on this earth. He's going to sit on the King of David with all power and with all authority. And if you look around today, the kings of the world, there are so many that are pompous and they're puffed up as if they have this power and authority. But it's simply Jesus Christ. He's given them that authority. He's given them leeway.

But the day is coming. Revelation one five says the ruler over the kings of the earth. Jesus Christ rules all kings. He rules all things and everyone will have to submit to his authority in his earthly kingdom.

OK, good. So in the next portion of this, it says that he who opens and no one shuts. I always think about doors when I think about open and shut.

So what is it that he opens and shuts? Well, Jesus Christ told the disciples before he ascended and went back to heaven, he said, go into the world and preach the good news. We look at Matthew twenty eight eighteen and Jesus came and spoke to them, saying all authority has been given to me in heaven and on the earth. So what this is referring to here in this passage is opportunities to preach the gospel. And those opportunities are controlled by Jesus Christ. And if Jesus Christ wants you to preach the gospel, no one can close that door. And if we find during this church movement that the missionary movement, it flourished during that time as Christ gave opportunities to go in and preach the gospel. And this not only applies to a church, but it applies to individuals. But what we find today is that there are people who will compromise to gain opportunities to preach.

And how many times have you heard of preachers say they can't speak against certain issues like abortion? They won't talk about certain things because they are afraid of man. They are afraid of people that are not going to want them.

They're afraid of people. They're going to tell them, no, you can no longer preach here. And but Jesus says if he opens the door, no one can close it.

But when you look at that, you say to yourself, well, they may have thought they were taking away an opportunity. But Jesus says if he opens the door, it can't be closed. And so he just opens the door even wider and gives you a bigger opportunity and a bigger platform. And so I just want to encourage people today out there in ministry. And it's not just for formal ministers and preachers that it goes for everyone.

If you feel like people are shutting you down and you're afraid to preach because you're afraid of what the response of the world is going to be. Jesus said if he opens the door, nobody can close it. And when he closes it, nobody can open it. When he closes it, no one can open it back up again.

And that's good news to know that he's man in the door, right? Exactly. So I noticed that for some of the churches in Revelation, a commendation was usually given and, you know, things like praising for good works and things like that. So what were the works that the Lord refers to in Revelation three, verse eight?

All right. So he's saying here, I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door. So again, this goes back to the doors of opportunity that are open for proclaiming the gospel. And, you know, I love the fact that this here is talking about the gospel because oftentimes in our secular society, when we think about opportunities and doors opening, we're thinking about things that are personally benefiting us, like an opportunity for a career move and financial gain. And it's not to say that those things are bad, but we are here to serve Jesus Christ. That is our purpose on this earth. And it's for the opportunity to to preach the gospel.

That should be the thing that gets us the most excited, not moving up the corporate ladder and not gaining this or that. And so he's saying, I know your works. And if we look at the the main characteristics of of a faithful service during this church age in First Corinthians 16, nine for a great and effective door has opened to me and there are many adversaries.

And these are the words of the apostle Paul. He says a door has opened to me. He says a great and effective door. Now, how many in the world today, though, view opportunities to preach the gospel as great and effective?

A lot of people are looking at other things. And so it's so important for us as Christians to to understand the privilege that we have to preach the gospel of our Lord. And I like when you talk about an open door, it offers encouragement to believers, too. When when the Lord says, you know, he's going to open that door and it's going to remain open. And he's giving you that opportunity, especially those who experience persecution. And this also to me talks about the open door to the kingdom of God, which is our ultimate reward. So I like to look at it that way. Yeah, exactly. Well, what is meant by in the next portion where it says for you have a little strength, because some people might say little strength has that accommodation, but what is meant by you have a little strength.

All right. So this is in verse eight. And this actually is referring to the minority status of the believers in Philadelphia, meaning that they were not in the majority. And this church age was often characterized by small congregations. We're in an era that we see a lot of so-called mega churches where you see thousands and thousands in. And they consider that to be a great thing. And that's not to say that large churches are bad.

I'm not here to say that at all. But, you know, by human standards, they view these small congregations as weakness. But we must remember that real strength comes from the Holy Spirit, as the word says, when I am weak, then I am strong. So Jesus is saying, I know that you all are in the minority.

I know that you are a small body, but you're faithful. He says, therefore, you have maybe few in number, but you still have strength. And so in the next part, it says have kept my word. So how did they go about doing this? How did they keep his word?

So even though they were small in number, they were this little strength. It refers to simply they obey God's word. They were true to his word. And as we look at it, you know, this was a great contrast to what we looked at last week with the Reformation churches who believe God's word, but they did not obey it. And that is why it's so important that people might say, well, I believe in the word of God or I believe in Jesus. And I say, well, the devil and his demons believe in Jesus. The Bible says they tremble, they flee, and they also believe God's word.

They know what the word of God says, but they have not accepted it and they do not obey it. And so that is why it's so important for us to keep his word as a faithful act of service. And I want to look back at when it talked about a little strength. I think this impacts the person as an individual, too.

Some people may feel like, well, it's just me, little old me. I have a little strength. But you can have a major impact in your sphere of influence. And so I think that this also can help someone say, OK, well, when I'm weak, God, the Lord Jesus will make me strong.

So you can make a big impact. You don't have to be part of a large congregation. You can actually make an impact as an individual by obeying Jesus and following whatever path he has for you.

Yeah. And to that point, you know, people will even think, well, I'm not out front. I'm not in the pulpit preaching and things. But you can you can be a prayer warrior that nobody knows about. And there was this lady, a little lady from back when Billy Graham was evangelizing. And that lady, she would pray. She would get in a spot and she would travel to wherever Billy Graham was preaching. And she would just go and get in the closet and pray or in a secret place and just pray for him, his protection and for his word to go forth. And I believe that lady very well might receive more rewards in heaven than Billy Graham himself because she's faithfully praying behind the scenes. So, again, to your point, people might think that, well, it's just me.

What can I do? But prayer is powerful and there are just so many things. God is making a way for everyone to be able to be a witness to his kingdom. And prayer is one of the ultimate examples of showing your faith. Yeah.

Yes. In the last part of Revelation three, verse eight, it says and have not denied my name. Can you speak to that? So Satan, of course, he always tries to counter an effective word of God. And we saw during this time period that we're looking at today that the time period that this church represents, saw the greatest increase in false Christ and false religions in world history. But yet it refused to deny our Lord. And it just reminds us of Matthew chapter 10, verse 33. But whoever denies me before me and him, I will also deny before my father who is in heaven.

That is something that hits you in the heart. And you need to think about it because there are people today that will not take a stand for Jesus Christ out of fear of being ostracized by society. But Jesus says, if you deny me before me, I'm going to deny you before the father. So remember that if you deny Jesus Christ, there is a consequence that is yet to come.

Yes. Let's look at Revelation three, verse nine. Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that 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. What is the synagogue of Satan? Yeah, this is a very interesting passage here. But basically, when we look at it, Jesus also, if we remember when we looked at the church at Smyrna in Revelation two nine, he also referenced the synagogue of Satan. So in short, it was a group of unbelieving Jews who were persecuting Christians. So meaning these were ethnic Jews, but yet they were persecuting those who accepted Jesus Christ as the Messiah. OK, so can you explain more about those who say they are Jews and are not? Yeah, so there are those who say, well, we are descendants of Abraham and they say we were born through the lineage of the Jewish nation.

So ethnically, they are Jews. And they say, well, that automatically makes them people of God. But they persecute those who accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah, which those are the true people of God. Whoever accepts Jesus Christ are the true people of God, not those who are simply born as a Jew, because if you're Jewish, you also have to accept Christ as Messiah if you want eternal life. And so we have to make the distinction between an ethnic Jew and a faithful Jew. And we see in Romans Chapter nine, verse six, it says, for they are not all Israel who are of Israel. And so what that means is there were people that would say, well, because I was born in the nation of Israel, that makes me automatically of God. But Romans two, twenty eight through twenty nine declares one who is a Jew inwardly, not outwardly. And what that means is it's a spiritual matter. To be a true Jew, you have to accept Christ as the Messiah.

If not, you are not truly of God. Explain that way. Thank you. So let's look at this part about worship before your feet. Can you explain that?

Yeah. So this is referring to the vindication. So Christ promised that all false religionists, imposters and false teachers who claim to be Jews, meaning, you know, they really are the house of the synagogue of Satan. And let me say, too, about the synagogue in case anyone is not familiar with that. That is basically where they went to worship during the biblical days, just like we go to a church building today. We as the church, of course, the true church are human beings.

But the place we go, we call it a church. Synagogue is simply where they went to to worship. But here they're saying that those who claim to be Jews, but we're not, would someday be subdued before them. So they've been persecuting these people who are claiming that they are the Jews, that is, the ones who are the synagogue of Satan, claiming they are the true Jews, the true ones of God.

But they're persecuting the ones who accept the Messiah. Where our Lord is saying the day is going to come and they will fall down at their feet. Now, what we must understand that this is not really meaning to worship the people, but it is meaning that they're going to be subdued.

They're going to be humble and recognize and realize that persecuting the faithful church that they have turned against God, they're going to realize that, no, this is not something that we should do. And it's similar to Isaiah 60, verse 14, where we find also the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bowing to you. And so when we look at this verse, this was during the time period in which Gentiles were oppressing the Jewish nation. So God said that they would come in which those who afflicted you would bow before you. Well, now we see somewhat of a reversal in which the Jews are going to bow before the church, which is primarily made up of Gentiles.

And so we sort of see a reversal here. But I must stress, this does not mean that all present day Jews are of Satan, because there is a lot of anti-Semitism. And we, of course, have a ministry, blessings to Israel.

We are huge supporters and friends of God's chosen nation, as God said in Genesis 12, 3, to bless the nation of Israel. And so it's so important that we point that out that we are not saying that Jews are of Satan. What we are saying, though, is that if you do not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah, you are not truly of God. But we find today, even with replacement theology, that that's a satanic deception. And people will, even in the church, will try to use scriptures like these to say the promises to Israel have been transferred to the church. It is a deception. It is a lie. The Jewish nation is a great nation. It is a special people called out by God. And God still has plans for the Jewish people. That's a good point.

Thank you for clarifying that. Well, we are going to take a short break, but don't go away. We're going to come back continuing looking at the faithful church in the Book of Revelation.

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Welcome back to God First. You are tuned in and we are looking today, continuing our series in the Book of Revelation, looking at the faithful church. So let's pick up where we left off with verse 10 of Revelation, Chapter three in verse 10 says, because you have kept my command to persevere. I also will keep you from the hour of trial, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. So where it talks about and what with the church and how it says how you did persevere.

So let me read that again, because you have kept my command to persevere. Well, what is what what did the church do to persevere? Yeah, simply means the churches remain obedient to God's word, even in the midst of these false Christs and false religions and those who are of the synagogue of Satan persecuting them.

They still remain obedient to his word. OK. And so with the hour of trial, that stands out to me a lot. What exactly is the hour of trial that shall come upon the world?

Yeah. So this is referring here to the seven year tribulation that is still yet future. And we're going to see it in Revelation Chapter six through 18. We're going to find that what the Bible is saying here, though, is that this is a period of preservation. If we look at Matthew 24, 21, for then there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time.

No, nor ever shall be. And so the start of the tribulation is going to be marked by the Antichrist making a seven year covenant covenant with Israel. But what we're finding here is that the Bible Jesus is letting us know this time is not appointed to those who put is put their faith and trust in him. Can you talk a little bit more about the part where it says who dwell on the earth? Who is this exactly where they're talking about here? OK, so when when it's looking back and verse 10, so to test those who dwell on the earth.

All right. So our Lord is going to keep those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ from the hour of trial. The church will be raptured before this time period comes. And this is that pre tribulation rapture topic that people debate. Does the rapture happen before the tribulation in the middle or at the end?

And we're going to cover this more in chapter four when we get to it. But verses like these and there's so many make it clear to me that our Lord is saying we are not appointed to this time that's going to come. We have a promise that we're going to be taken to heaven to be with our Lord during this hour of trial. And I want to say for those out there who rejected Jesus Christ, the hour of trial, you'll see it when we get there.

It is going to be the worst time that the world has ever seen. If you think things are bad today, when we look at the pandemic that we're going through currently, when we look at the looting and the rioting is nothing compared to what the Bible says is going to come during the seven year tribulation. So I encourage people, give your heart to Jesus Christ so that you can be protected from the hour of trial that is still yet to come. Yes, because the unbelieving world will feel God's wrath during that time. So let's look at Revelation three, verse 11, it says, Behold, I am coming quickly.

Hold fast what you have that no one may take your crown. So when he said when the Lord says, I am coming quickly, but it has, you know, it's been almost 2000 years since his ascension. So how do you reconcile that?

Yeah. And we think about things through the eyes of of human terms, but he promised that he's coming again. And notice that the council is made on the basis that the Church of Philadelphia would be in existence at a second coming. The church age is now almost 300 years old.

And so but to your question, quickly, just simply means soon. And one of the things that we have to remember, because we're always looking at things through the eyes of mortal man. And it amazes me at how people try to rationalize and make reason out of things of God when we are his creation. And there are things that we just don't know.

We don't understand. But the Bible says in Second Peter three eight that with the Lord a day is like a thousand years. So to us, a thousand years is a long time. But to God, that's one day. And so when you look at it in that sense, Jesus Christ went away.

It was about 2000 years ago. So in that sense, he's only been gone two days. That's not a long period of time. But when you also look at it, when he's coming quickly means it's going to happen instantly.

It's going to happen fast, like in the blink of an eye. And if you're not ready, if you're not prepared, you will you will miss out. OK. And so when he talks about how we the church will need to hold fast, hold fast to something.

So what does that mean? What is he instructing the church to hold fast to? Continue what they have been doing faithfully until the end. So this church in Philadelphia, they have been faithful in their words. They were staying committed to the faith, obeying the word of God. And as we look at the church in Philadelphia, they were characterized by a revival evangelism and missionary work.

So he's saying hold to those things. And when we look at evangelism, when we look at missions, we look at Bible teaching. These are three essentials for church growth. And today, people sort of look at like what we're doing. We're doing in-depth teaching of the Bible.

And there are some people that have no interest in that. But if you really want a church to thrive and to grow, you need to teach the Bible. You know, we don't go to church for a performance.

We don't go to be entertained. We go to learn about God. And so churches with these type of characteristics, we even see it today. They are thriving as a lot of churches are falling away.

Churches that are holding fast to these things are thriving. And so as we look at like the church at Sardis and the church at Laodicea, those type of churches typically lose more members than join. But because of the fact they've not kept his word, but those who are faithful and do not deny his name, those are the type of churches that we find thriving. You know, the word tells us to feast on the entire word of God. And when you think about Bible teaching, that includes the entire Bible, not just the parts that your audience or your congregation wants to hear to make them feel comfortable, to feel better. Or it doesn't mean, you know, parts that you just don't want to deeply study because some some parts of the Bible requires you to really meditate hard on them to get full understanding. So we have to feast on the entire word of God. Yeah, that's true. And when it comes to Bible prophecy, I just saw I heard about a survey that said that only two percent of churches surveyed said they talk about the second coming of Christ, meaning Bible prophecy, eschatology.

And there are so many reasons for that. But one of the things I will say, I do understand that it can be a complex topic, but people have to stop being lazy. I talked to a pastor who will remain nameless, but he was talking about revelation. He said, you know, man, revelation requires a whole lot of studying in my mind.

I'm thinking, well, study then. And I get that pastors have a lot on their plates. I totally understand that. But God called us to preach all of the Bible, the full counsel, and Bible prophecy makes up a third of the Bible.

And if you skip that, just ignore it. You're not going to have a sound, healthy church. It's just not going to happen because you have to be teachers of the word and not just hear us. But you have to be teachers of it.

You have to follow it. And you have to again, we don't go to church for a performance to be entertained. Pastors are their job is not to entertain people. So but we have a lot of that happening today.

That is so true. And in this last part of this verse, it talks about a crown that no one may take your crown. So what is this crown and how can it be taken? Yeah, this is one of the things that gets me excited because the Bible tells us of various crowns that we can receive. And this report is pointing to our eternal rewards so we can still have eternal life. There are some people that I hate to say it, but a lazy Christians.

They accepted Christ as the Messiah. But that is pretty much where it starts and stops for them. They're not doing anything else for the kingdom. So they'll still get in the kingdom.

But you can lose rewards for being lazy, for not having works, for not doing service. And we must be clear that we are saved by grace. OK, faith and grace alone, but where our words come into play is when it comes to our eternal well-being in the sense of rewards. So he's saying here that crowns that you can receive continue to be faithful so that no one can take your crown. And I think that something I've heard people actually say, I just want to make it in.

I just want to make it in. And I don't think that they maximize their gifts. You know, the Lord gives us spiritual gifts and it's for his service, it's for him, it's for his glory.

And when you don't maximize those, then you're not being complete. It's almost like you you're living a somewhat empty life, in a sense, as a Christian. And it's a shame. And some may say, well, I'm not a good speaker.

I can't get up in front of a crowd. And people say this and that. But God is going to give out rewards based on what he's given to us.

And how you you fulfill what he's called you to do based on what he's given you. So, again, we're not here to just make it in. You won't. I want to get as many crowns and rewards as possible.

I don't want to just make it in. I want to be blamed. I want to. Yeah, I want to live it to the fullest.

OK. Revelation three, verse 12. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go out no more. 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. So at the beginning of that talks about I will make him a pillar. What is the pillar? All right. So it's important that we understand this is a pillar, not a pillow.

All right. So this is referring to stability. So we know what a pillar is. A pillar is something that holds up a structure, a column. And so our Lord is saying that he's going to make us a pillar in his kingdom.

And Christians are often rejected in this life. But when we are in eternity, we are going to be with the in crowd. We're going to have stability.

We're not going to have people mocking us and and doing all kinds of things. He is going to make us one of the strong structures of his kingdom. OK, so he's going to make us a pillar stable, not a pillow, not a soft creature. OK, let's look at where it talks about the name of my God. He's going to write on him the name of my God.

What is that? All right. So true believers will be identified by a seal which has the name of God, giving them access to enter the New Jerusalem. And we'll speak about the New Jerusalem War when we get to Chapter 21. But when we think about the name of God, he's going to give us a special name. And we're going to talk a little bit more about the name that Jesus is going to to give us when we come comes to eternity. So is it saying that Jesus is going to give us a new name? Like a completely we're just brand new name, new name tag. Yes.

Yes. We're we're going there are so many things that comes to eternity that are unknowns to us. But believers of the Church of Philadelphia will also have the new name of Christ written on them. And so we look at Revelation 20, verse four. They shall see his face and his name shall be on their foreheads. And this should be a reminder to us of things that are coming as far as there's going to be a mimicking of that that is to come. But this will entitle us to be servants of Jesus Christ.

But during the seven year tribulation, people talk about it all the time. Six, six, six, the mark of the beast during the tribulation. He is going to give a mark for all who accept him. And so he's trying to mimic Jesus Christ. But his mark is going to cause you to be eternally damned, as opposed to the name of Jesus Christ. That will be on our foreheads as opposed to the antichrist, which is going to give a name on the forehead of 666.

So we see how Satan throughout history, he's been trying to mimic our Lord and savior. OK, so in the last verse that we're going to talk about, Revelation three, verse 13 says he who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit says to the churches. What is meant by he who has an ear?

All right. So Christ repeats this throughout his message to the churches. He's saying to hear and receive. If you have ears, pay attention.

There are a lot of times when you're talking to someone, you see it amongst married couples and you see you talking to your children and they hear noise, but they're not perceiving it. So he's saying, hear it and receive it. Pay attention.

Wake up. And so many in the church today that I look around at what Christ said would be indicators of his coming. And people are like asleep at the wheel. They see it, but then they don't see it. And you try to show them and they seem to be clueless. And it's like driving down the road and there is a herd of deer right out in front and you don't see it because your eyes are closed. So you need to open your eyes.

You need to open your ears, hear and receive what it is that he's saying. Yes. Yes. And in here it talks about the spirit. Clarify for me, like what or who is the spirit as a reference here?

Yeah, this is referring to the Holy Spirit. Awesome. Awesome. So this was a great lesson or message, however you want to take it. So, Brian, can you wrap everything up for us?

Yeah. So I want to stress the importance of fulfilling the opportunities that God gives us as we see this church at Philadelphia is a faithful church. We are to not deny our Lord just as they did not deny him. We are to always stay true to God's word because one day your enemies will acknowledge you.

And I want to encourage people today. You may be being mocked and criticized for your faithfulness to Christ. You're standing up for righteousness when it comes to political issues, when it comes to racial issues, when it comes to marriage issues, whatever it is. You're standing up true and friends, at least so-called friends and families, they're turning their backs on you. But your enemies and I hate to say family and friends are enemies, but in some cases it is true.

You know, people are turning their backs on their own family. But Jesus Christ is coming again. He will keep us from the trial that he is yet to come.

And I just want to encourage people, come get ready. He is coming soon. And if you've back slid, receive Jesus Christ, revive your relationship with him. You thought maybe you received him, but you back slid.

You need to revive that relationship with him. And so I just want to say, accept him today for those who have never put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for the time is near. So before I close things out, I want to thank you for leading us today. And do you have any final words for the listeners?

I just reiterate what you said. The Lord wants your allegiance to him. So I encourage everyone to stay prayerful. Get in your word because it is alive, it's living and it's your nourishment. And be deeply rooted in your word so that you can have spiritual discernment and allow God to guide you in these unprecedented times.

All right. Well said. Well, as we close today, I want to encourage you to remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Bless God's great nation of Israel. And to the only wise God, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

Amen. You've been listening to the Bible teacher Brian C. Thomas, founder and president of God First. Brian and God First reserve all copyright protection under applicable law. Our copyright policy is available at our website, GodFirst.org. Until next time, remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, bless God's great nation of Israel and seek first the kingdom of God. Thank you.