1"To the
messenger of
the church in Sardis, write: The one
who has God's seven spirits and the seven stars says: I know what
you have done. You are known for being alive, but you are dead.
"To the MESSENGER of the church in Sardis, write:'The one who has
GOD'S seven SPIRITS
and
These seven spirits have been and always will be before the throne.
John
says so in Revelation 1:4 that they are
(today
- present tense) before the throne. What are these seven SPIRITS?
John sees, in his first vision, that the seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches - Revelation 1:20.
This indicates that the church at Sardis is being "weighed" against the
things of the SPIRIT and heavenly things of worth (angels and their
worship).
I know what you have done. You are known for being alive, but
you are dead.
Apparently the Sardis church looks very active but much activity
under
a religious banner means nothing. Jesus gives us a very curious passage
in Matthew 7:20-23 where people are
going to claim their works (all, notice, appearing very religious or
supernatural)
as their tickets into heaven. Not so, Jesus says "I never knew you".
All
our works, including religious-appearing ones, will be tested as though
by fire.... 1 Corinthians 3:12-17.
The Sardis church, whether it was the proximity of the necropolis
or
an internal matter, was DEAD. Sure they were active maybe even included
pagan death rites in their worship, but they had lost that ALIVE,
GOD-GLORIFYING,
and GOD-HONORING worship.
2Be alert, and strengthen the
things
that are left which are about to die. I have found that what you are
doing
has not been completed in the sight of my God.
Be alert,
WAKE UP! A few at Sardis still knew of the real God, the real Son, and
the real Holy Spirit but they had been suppressed so long by "ritual"
(worthless
religion) that they needed to wake up. The same is true for ALL
churches
today.....WAKE UP!
and STRENGTHEN the things that are left which are about to die.
3So remember what you received
and
heard. Obey, and change the way you think and act. If you're not alert,
I'll come like a thief. You don't know when I will come.
So REMEMBER what you received and heard.
From whom did they receive and what did they hear? They received
instruction
from the apostles and other prophets; that is what they heard...Bible
was
not written down as such for the church members to each have a copy.
Thus,
it was by hearing the truth (not the misleading religion like Jezebel
was
perpetrating at Thyatira).
OBEY, and
The Word of God is worth obeying; it is entrusted to us - 2
Timothy 1:13-14. In Hebrews 3:5-6,
Hebrews
4:10-13, and Hebrews 10:19-25,
we
are told to obey the Word of God as it is our hope of eternal life, and
to encourage that hope within an assemblage of believers. We are to
hold
on to that which is good - 1
Thessalonians
5:19-22. Lastly, obeying the Word sets us free -
John
8:31-36.
CHANGE the way you THINK and ACT.
Change is ALWAYS required when sin has intervened and "deadened" the
church.
If you are one of those "dead" Christians, the solution to becoming
alive
again is here: REMEMBER, OBEY, and CHANGE!
If you are not ALERT, I'll come like a thief. You don't
know when I will come.
While this may refer to Christ's return (the day of the Lord) as
recorded
in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, more
likely
this refers to the unpredictable time of DEATH. Remember this church
was
in view of the necropolis (burial mounds) and apparently was
preoccupied
with death rituals.
Furthermore, DEATH stops any chance to REMEMBER, OBEY, and CHANGE.
4But you have a
few
people in Sardis who have kept their clothes clean. They will walk with
me in white clothes because they deserve it.
But you have a FEW people in Sardis who have kept their clothes
clean.
The FEW often seems to be the case....we are mostly followers or
indifferent.
It was true in Luke's time. Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth because
they
"followed all the Lord's commands and regulations perfectly" (Luke 1:5-6) were
given the privilege of being the parents of John the Baptist, the
announcer
and baptizer of Jesus Christ. Simeon, an "an honorable and devout " man
was
one of the FEW who knew he would see the Lord's Christ before he died (Luke
2:25-26). And then there was Anna, a widowed prophetess, who for
many
years "never left the temple courtyard". She was given the task of
speaking to
all
around that the Jesus is the redeemer of Jerusalem (Luke
2:36-38) that everyone was looking for.
But these instances are not that unusual. Even in very ancient
times,
it is recorded (Genesis 6:5-12), that
Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord because he walked with God.
The rest of mankind was very
evil.
In pagan religions at the time of Revelation's writing, it was
forbidden
to approach the gods in garments that were soiled or stained. This
spotting
or soiling symbolizes an otherwise pure life stained by pagan ideas or
beliefs. God's word says much about the purity of the Christian
life.
the 144,000 Jewish witnesses were blameless (Revelation
14:5)
food we eat does not matter, it is one God that matters (1
Corinthians 8:4-8).
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit ... (2
Corinthians 7:1).
we should maintain the simplicity and purity of devotion to
Christ (2
Corinthians 11:1-3).
have mercy with fear on those whose garments are polluted by the
flesh
(Jude 22-23).
They will walk with me in WHITE CLOTHES
The white garments are symbols of righteousness, victory, and the glory
of God.
in the advice to Laodicea, they were to buy white garments
to
cover the
shame of their wickedness - Revelation 3:18.
the great tribulation martyr's robes were white - Revelation
6:11.
all redeemed saints around the Throne wore white robes - Revelation
7:9
the ones out of the great Tribulation had their robes washed
white in
the
blood of the Lamb - Revelation 7:14
the heavenly armies are wearing white (contrast that with today's
armies
in camouflage!) - Revelation 19:14
because they DESERVE it.
The faithful FEW in Sardis would walk with Him in white for they
DESERVE
it. No need to blame it on the church or to be a martyr to wear white;
it is your own heart and life condition which will determine whether
your
garment is pure white or soiled.
To DESERVE something is rare indeed. For example, Christ was the
ONLY
one deserved to open the seals on the scroll held in the right hand of
the One on the THRONE. Read about it starting in Revelation
5:1.
5Everyone
who wins the victory this way will wear white clothes. I will never
erase
their names from the Book of Life. I will acknowledge them in the
presence
of my Father and his angels.
Everyone who wins the victory this way
will WEAR WHITE CLOTHES.
John, in his earlier letter in 1
John
3:1-3, says that if He, Christ, should appear that we will be like
Him. That is, the purity that the washing with His blood gives to our
garment
makes it white. If you really want to see how He is, look at Matthew
17:1-7.
I will never ERASE their names from the BOOK OF LIFE.
<>
In ancient cities, the names of the citizens were recorded in a
register
until death. At death, their names were removed from the book of the
living.
The Old Testament has the same idea. Apparently, during one of
their
several conversations, God told Moses about the Book of Life because
Moses
requests that his own name be removed from the book if God could not
forgive
the great sins of the people - Exodus
32:30-35.
David, says in Psalm 69:26-28,
that
those with iniquity should be blotted out of the book of life and not
be
recorded with the righteous.
Isaiah, in Isaiah 4:2-6,
indicates that
those left in Zion will be those "recorded for life" in Jerusalem, the
Holy City.
Gradually, the book of life came to mean those people having
eternal
life (not just physical life). Daniel talks about the end times when
those
written in the book will be rescued from the time of distress - Daniel
12:1-3.
It is the greatest reason for rejoicing. Having your name in the
book
of life supercedes any kind of miracle performed, healing that takes
place,
or good deed performed - Luke 10:17-20.
The rest of Revelation refers to the book of life of the Lamb in
context
to those who do not follow the beast (Revelation
13:8), are not tempted by the woman riding the beast (Revelation
17:8), do not suffer the second death (Revelation
20:15), and inhabit the Holy City (Revelation
21:27).
Only a crime in ancient times could cause a persons name to be
removed
from the book of life (even though the person was still alive). Our
place,
as Christians, is more secure. Romans
8:37-39
lists all the things that might try to get our names removed from the
book
of life BUT won't succeed!
I will acknowledge them in the presence of my Father and
his angels.
This is the strongest evidence of the complete and perfect work
of Christ.
That He will confess my name before God - Matthew
10:32-33 and His angels - Luke
12:8-10.
All this while I stand there in my white, dazzling robe. WOW!!!
6Let the person who has ears
listen
to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Let the person who has ears LISTEN to what the SPIRIT says to
the churches.
Again the general exhortation comes at the end. This time it may have
had
added signifigance. Since Sardis seemed to be surrounded by the death
theme,
hearing and believing the Word of God (John
5:24-29) is the way to pass from death unto life!
7"To the
messenger of
the church in Philadelphia, write: The one who
is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens {a door} that
no one can shut, and who shuts {a door} that no one can open, says:
"To the MESSENGER of the church in PHILADELPHIA, write: The ONE
who is HOLY,
This is the first church where the "sender" is not described in terms
of His attributes in Revelation chapter 1. This One who is HOLY expects
us to be holy - Leviticus 19:1-4.
Holiness
leads us toward perfection - Matthew 5:48.
Lastly, holiness wants to dwell where righteousness lives - 2
Peter 3:10-13.
who is TRUE,
This is one of the great attributes of Christ as explained throughout
the New Testament. As Christians, we want to know Him who is true - 1
John 5:20.
who has the key of DAVID,
Christ already has the keys of DEATH and HELL (Revelation
1:18) and now He has the key of DAVID. Not only does a key give the
ability to open and shut as we will see later in this verse, but it
also
places a great responsibility on the bearer. In Isaiah
22:15-25, Shebna apparently proved not to be able to bear the keys
responsibly, so the keys were given to Eliakim. The keys in Isaiah's
days
locked up the treasures of the Kings of Judah. Figuratively, it refers
to the great responsibilies of government. The keys were on a large
ring
carried over the shoulder. The future key bearer is none other that
Jesus
Christ - Isaiah 9:6-7.
To the Philadelphia church, Christ now proclaims to have the
keys which
control governments (nations) and He will use them to His purposes. We
must heed current world events in light of His having the KEY OF
DAVID.
who OPENS {a door} that no one can shut, and who SHUTS {a
door} and
that no one can open, says:
The keys give you the authority to open or let in whomever the bearer
wants. Likewise, He can close or keep out whomever He wills. He has all
authority in heaven and earth - Matthew
28:18-20. This includes the church - Ephesians
1:22-23 and all mankind - John 17:1-3.
This can be viewed with terror if you feel Jesus will keep the
"door"
shut because you have not accepted Him as Lord
and
Savior. To those who have, He will open the door!
8I know what you have done.
See,
I have opened a door in front of you that no one can shut. You only
have
a little strength, but you have paid attention to my word and have not
denied my name.
"I know WHAT you HAVE DONE.
There is no indication what things they had done. They must have been
OK
if the Philadelphians are complemented later in this verse for not
denying
His NAME.
See, I have OPENED a DOOR in front of you that no one can shut.
Jesus says that He is the door (and He has the keys) - John
10:1-18. This may reflect the fact that Philadelphia was on the
crossing
of two major highways and was strategically located to spread the Word
of God throughout Asia.
Our access to God is through the OPEN DOOR - Romans
5:1-2.
When there is just a little STRENGTH, then the believer must TRUST God
to provide a way (in His time). Paul recognized God's OPEN DOOR and
timing
in Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8-9).
Paul
always looked for the OPEN DOOR. - Colossians
4:2-4.
but you have paid attention to MY WORD
The pressures of daily living are great to dilute, compromise, (or
worst)
ignore the WORD of God. The Philadelphians KEPT the word .... how can
you
KEEP what you don't know or even take the time to find out? IT IS
CRITICAL
TO READ GOD'S WORD! Don't be moved away from the hope of the Gospel - Colossians
1:21-23.
and have not denied MY NAME.
Jude 3-4 explains that certain
persons
will creep in unawares who turn the grace of God into licentiousness.
You
can always tell who these persons are because they deny the Lord Jesus
Christ. Jesus, himself, says we are to deny ourselves NOT Him, Matthew
16:24-25.
THE
BELIEVER'S
PERSONAL LIFE
Little self strength
|—> Keeping the Word of God
|—> NOT deny Christ's name!
9 I will make those who
are
in Satan's synagogue come and bow at your feet and realize that I have
loved you. They claim that they are Jewish, but they are lying.
I will make those who are in Satan's synagogue come and bow
at
your feet and
This is not a reference that unbelievers will reverence believers. That
kind of bowing down is reserved for Christ ONLY - Philippians
2:9-11. This reference is more like Joseph in Egypt where his
brothers
eventually fall down before him (not knowing who Joseph was) and beg
for
food (Genesis 44:14-17). The subtle
Jews causing subversion will come and bow down at the feet of the true
believers. It is a form of repentance.
realize that I have LOVED you..
It was this LOVE that caused Jesus to lay down His life for us - John
15:5-13.
Am I able to lay down my life for my friends? If I find it difficult
to worship God regularly, to study His Word daily, and to "pray
ceaselessly",
how will I find the spiritual strength to show this "greater LOVE"?
They claim that they are Jewish, but they are lying.
The accusation here is of lying about the authenticity of the
Messiah
(synagogue of Satan is the symbolic counterpart). Refresh yourself with
Smyrna church in Revelation 2:9 where
there
was outright blasphememy. The Philadelphia church had its Jewish
subverters
too; only they were more subtle.
10Because you have obeyed
my
command to endure, I will keep you safe during the time of testing
which
is coming to the whole world to test those living on earth.
Because you have OBEYED my command to endure,
The Philadelphian members receive an extra promise (other than the one
that goes to the 'overcomers'). The expression "my command to endure"
is
somewhat difficult to understand. The New International Version
translates
it as "kept my command to endure patiently"; Ladd translates it as "the
word enjoining Christ's patient endurance".
In either case, to suffer for Christ and to persevere is one of the
greatest tests of our Christian faith. Paul repeatedly endured --
Philippians
1:29-30, encouraged --
2 Thessalonians
3:5, even as Christ did -
Hebrews 12:3.
We are to TAKE HEART!
I will keep you safe during the time of testing which is coming
to the whole world to test those living on earth.
That this is the wrath of God is indicated by 'the time of testing'.
That is not to say Christians won't have testing...they do. It's
called
persecution. But they will not suffer this particular kind of God's
wrath
It seems that God has different forms of wrath. The one talked about
here
is for unbelievers, 'those who live on earth'.
The term "keep you safe" is most often interpreted as "to be kept
from
being present" or as it is sometimes called - The Rapture.
John
14:2-3,
1 Corinthians 15:51-53,
Philippians
3:20-21, and
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
support Christ's coming again and receiving us into the heavenly
mansions.
However, "keep you safe" could also be interpreted as "to be preserved
through it" not unlike the 144,000 witnesses of Revelation
7:4 who are "sealed" or protected from harm.
At any rate, to argue of the meaning of these phrases is not that
important.
It is important, though, that this promise goes only to whose who have
OBEYED the command (lived it!) through ALL persecution. (Compare this
"obeying"
with the promise given to Smyrna church - Revelation
2:10).
11 I am coming soon! Hold
on
to what you have so that no one takes your crown.
I AM COMING SOON!
This is not a threat of judgment but rather a promise of Christ's
second
coming. This phrase is used three times in Revelation 22. Find them.
The two previous churches, Thyatira and Sardis, also were given
notice
of His coming. At Thyatira (Revelation 2:25),
they were to hold fast until I COME otherwise a GREAT TRIBULATION
waited
for them. In Revelation 3:3 He would COME to Sardis
as
a thief and thus catch them unawares. So, the Philadelphia church, is
different.
They are watching and waiting so as to be kept from the HOUR of
testing.
HOLD ON to WHAT YOU HAVE so that no one takes your crown.
The crown of Life had been promised to those who were faithful unto
death
at the Smyrna church (Revelation 2:10).
Other
crowns are available to the faithful. Here, the Philadelphians are to
hold
on to their beliefs and faith in God, lest they lose their crown.
There is the possibility to lose one's rewards as taught in 1
Corinthians 3:14-15. Or, if we become weary and quit working for
the
Lord, we will not reap certain benefits Galatians
6:9 (whether this means not getting a crown is debatable).
However, salvation is NEVER lost if one truly makes a commitment to
Christ. John 10:27-30 says Christ
gives eternal Life to his sheep who follow Him! THEY
SHALL NEVER PERISH!!!
12 I will make everyone
who
wins the victory a pillar in the temple of my God. They will never
leave
it again. I will write on them the name of my God, the name of the city
of my God (the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from my God),
and
my new name.
I will make everyone who wins the victory
These are the ones with little strength (verse 8),
the
rest are DEAD! Here are the results of being an overcomer:
a pillar in the temple of MY GOD.
This is a strengthening statement to the Philadelphians since the area
where they lived was prone to earthquakes and usually only the strong
temple
pillars remained standing after a good shaking.
Furthermore, it was common practice back then to honor a VIP, civic
or cleric, with their name placed on the pillar. This expression may be
interpreted like this.
This should not be so odd to us ... Revelation
21:22 tells us that the new Jerusalem has no temple other than God
and the Lamb. We, as the Lamb's bride, will live freely in that temple!
They will never leave it again.
This is a permanent assignment. As with many things with God, a little
strength (verse 8) turns into the perfection of power
- 2 Corinthians 12:5-10. Trying to
do things in our own strength is foolishness compared to the POWER of
God.
And I will write on them
the NAME of My God, and
What a privilege to have the NAME of God the Father written on us!
the
NAME of the city of my God (the New Jerusalem coming
down out
of heaven from my God),
These are my citizenship papers.
and my NEW NAME.
We will be identified forever with the Glory of Jesus because we will
bear
His new name.
In Old Testament, His name was Jehovah, which is thick and rich with
meaning.
In the present, it is JESUS, a sweet sound to our ears.
In the future, it is His new name. It is unknown to us at the moment
because it is one of the hidden mysteries of our future -
1
Corinthians 2:9,
Isaiah 64:4, and
Isaiah
65:17-18.
13 Let the person who has
ears
listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.
Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to
the churches.
The route of the letters to the
churches
is amazing. While it appears that the route is through many agents, it
really was directly from the Holy Spirit/Lord all the time.
Hearing is a process of living people NOT dead people. Therefore, the
Spirit
is communicating to people who are alive. That is not unusual....1
Corinthians 14:26-33 indicates it is the spirit of the prophets who
communicate from a God of order and not confusion.
the speaker to the angel to the church at Laodicea goes back
before the
creation of the universe even to the beginning of God - John
1:1-5. Jesus has been forever ... not in the physical human form
but
as one part of the three-part God.
so listen up, Laodicea (and all other Christian churches)!!!
15I know what you
have
done, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot.
I know what you have DONE,
Again those all-seeing eyes penetrate to the heart of things.
that you are neither COLD nor HOT.
This may be an indirect reference to the water coming to Laodicea from
6 miles away; but most likely this refers to their lack of energy in
serving
the Lord -
Romans 12:9-13. (See also
Revelation
3:19).
I wish you were COLD or HOT.
This is your spiritual temperature not your SAVED or UNSAVED condition.
COLD ——> Saved but not at all living the Spirit-filled life.
HOT ——> Truly on fire for the Lord through the Holy Spirit!
Praise the Lord, the tense on the verb is 'am going to', future. There
still is time to repent and to be renewed. According to 1
Peter 4:17-19, the church first is judged and then godless sinners.
17You say, 'I'm
rich.
I'm wealthy. I don't need anything.' Yet, you do not realize that you
are
miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
YOU say,
Self assessment usually leads to self-engrandizement. While nobody
wants to hear bad truth, our approval and evaluation really comes from
the Lord - 2 Corinthians 10:12-18.
'I'm RICH. I'm WEALTHY. I don't need anything.'
If materially RICH ——> faith in God usually is lacking.
If spiritually RICH ——> they were blinded or oblivious to the
intrusion
of "worldly things".
Christ gave us the characteristics of a spiritual Christian in
the Beatitudes
- Matthew 5:3-12.
Yet you do not REALIZE that you are
MISERABLE,
PITIFUL,
POOR,
BLIND, and
NAKED.
The Laodiceans could not see their poor state of health in the body
(of Christ?) and soul (inward condition). The Smyrnans were recognized
(Revelation 2:9) as having poverty (but
they
were rich). What a contrast between two churches!
Lastly, nakedness talks about a shameless way of "showing off" a
spiritual
way of life (Revelation 16:15) when, in
fact, the flesh is doing something totally different. The walk does not
match the talk; we need to wear the spiritual garments of purity,
righteousness,
and the glory of God.
18I advise you: Buy gold
purified
in fire from me so that you may be rich. Buy white clothes from me.
Wear
them so that you may keep your shameful, naked body from showing. Buy
ointment
to put on your eyes so that you may see.
I advise you: BUY GOLD purified in fire FROM ME
For a church so involved in materialism (apparently from all
the wealth of the city), to ask them to "BUY" points an accusing finger
at them and says they don't have everything SPIRITUALLY. In fact, they
have just enough spiritualism to make them "lukewarm".
so that you may be rich.
The spiritual process of buying starts with repentance,
the turning over of one's self. Then one acquires GOD (Jesus = GOLD)
and
eternal riches (LIFE). The Word of God is solid GOLD - John
7:16-18. Then a transformation takes place - 2
Corinthians 3:17-18, a strengthening inside us - Ephesians
3:14-19, and a preparation for the trials sure to come - 1
Peter 1:3-9.
Buy WHITE CLOTHES from me.
Wear them
No good to just
buy the clothes....they had to put them on
so that you may keep your shameful, naked body from
showing.
Our SIN, unconfessed and unforgiven by the Lord, is our nakedness.
Only the white cloth of righteousness can hide our nakedness when we
receive
it and put it on.
Buy ointment to put on your eyes so that you may see.
Eyesalve impedes the "dazzling splendor" of the world's light. The
devil can make material things look so good. But eyesalve has another
function:
that of healing. It opens understanding to the hope of our calling - Ephesians
1:18; it removes the world's blinders - 2
Corinthians 4:4-6.
This verse indicates that the lukewarmness of Laodicea is not the
laxity
of Christians but rather the condition of not really knowing Christ.
They
may have accepted Him as their Savior BUT they have kept control of
their
life, i.e. haven't made Him their Lord.
What is your position today? Lukewarm because He isn't the
complete
Lord and Boss over your life?
19I correct and discipline
everyone
I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act.
I CORRECT and DISCIPLINE everyone I LOVE.
The unwanted and unloved seldom have anyone around to discipline them.
Thus we should be thankful that God is around to discipline us. John
14:18-21 says we are loved by God, and He will disclose Himself to
us. So if we are sons of God, then as a Father He disciplines us - Hebrews
12:4-13 and
Proverbs 3:12. The "disciplining"
is for our growth to bring us to a place of abundance according to
Psalm
66:8-15. We are to judge ourselves, and if we judge rightly then
the
Lord disciplines us - 1 Corinthians
11:27-32.
Take this SERIOUSLY, and change the way you THINK and ACT.
It somehow seems that a frivolous believer is a lukewarm
believer.....they
should be doing HARD WORK! 1 Corinthians
15:58.
The very last thing an unbeliever wants to do is change the way they
THINK and ACT. The very last thing a believer wants to do is change the
way they THINK and ACT. Why?
20Look, I'm standing at the
door
and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I'll
come
in and we'll eat together.
Look, I'm standing at the door and KNOCKING.
This is the door of the church at Laodicea (or your church) and not
necessarily
the heart's door as so many evangelists use this verse. This would
indicate
that there either were lots of deaf Christians or lazy Christians
ignoring
the knocking.
Note, too, that Christ is outside the church (Hebrews
13:12-13). We can go outside the church to be with him individually
OR the members of the church can invite Him in to be with them. He
would
prefer to come inside because He says
If ANYONE (in the church) listens to my
voice
(knock) and OPENS the DOOR,
There had to be some life in the church in order to hear the voice
(knock)
and open the door - John 5:24-29
and
John
10:24-30. Opening the door is the act of repentance and throwing
all
fleshly things into the dumper -
Galatians
5:19-21.
I'll COME IN and we'll eat together.
As we sit down to eat with Him (His word), His Spirit is there as He
shares
His food (bountiousness of the Father) with us. Then we grow and become
strong Christians. Thus begins the beautiful relationship between the
believer
and the Holy Spirit - Colossians 3:15-17.
One note of warning: James 5:9
indicates those who don't open the door will face the Judge!
21I will allow
everyone
who wins the victory to sit with me on my throne, as I have won the
victory
and have sat down with my Father on his throne.
I will allow everyone who wins the victory to SIT with me on
my THRONE, as I have won the victory and have SAT DOWN with my Father
on
his THRONE.
We have seen eariler in Revelation 1:6, Revelation
1:9, and
Revelation 2:27, that we, along
with John, anticipate to reign with Christ. Here it is outright
promised
to the Laodicean church (and we, too, if we overcome).
Later, during one of the praise sessions in Revelation
5:10 and in the thousand year period in Revelation
20:4, the 24 elders, the four living creatures, and the martyrs
also
indicate this joint reign.
Just as a side note: there is a clear distinction between the
Father's
Throne and Christ's Throne. It appears that Christ's Throne is
preeminent
from his resurrection until all things (including death) are "put under
His feet" - 1 Corinthians 15:20-28.
At that time, then even Christ and His Throne (and us) will be subject
completely to God (as we are now, too).
Lastly, all 'overcomer' promises (see formats
of church letters) show up again in the heavenly throne era. This
proves
that John's visions were organized and complete. Here are the seven
overcomer
promises again.
22Let the person
who
has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches."
Let the person who has EARS LISTEN to what the SPIRIT says to
the churches."
This phrase must be important to have been repeated SEVEN times.
WE MUST HEAR!!!!
The word "churches" is not used again until Revelation
22:16 where John is reminded that this 'book', Revelation as we
call
it, is to be to the "churches". Everything from now on during the
Judgments
is pronounced upon an earth without "churches". This leads many
scholars
to believe the active, alive, Spirit-filled church is not present on
the
earth during this time of Judgment.