1/28/07 – 4LAW “Revelation’s Seven Churches – Part 2”
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts  
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word 
and facts that affect you!

Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today’s subject – “Revelation’s Seven Churches – Part 2”

Before we begin today’s program, shall we reverently seek God’s presence. Heavenly Father we ask for divine guidance through the agency of the Holy Spirit, as we open the word and continue our study of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation.  In Jesus name Amen.

I continue to keep my pledge to cry aloud and spare not, lift up my voice like a trumpet and to show God’s people where they are transgressing God’s Law.

Although we have not actually started reading about the seven churches, which begins in chapter 2, we have been looking at the fascinating chapter 1. In verse 10 we read, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet” The great voice would indicate the intensity of that voice. We asked the question, “Whose voice was it?” The answer would be discovered in verses 11-18. “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks;  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” In verse 11 it is Jesus who is “…Alpha and Omega, the first and the last…” In verse 13 it is Jesus who is “…like unto the Son of man…” and it is Jesus vividly described in the Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. We know this for certain, as the golden candlesticks were in the first apartment of the sanctuary. It says in verse 16, “And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword:…”
The seven stars in His right hand will be explained in verse 20. The sharp two edged sword is the Word of God. For confirmation let us read  Hebrews 4:12. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, …”

Verses 17-19, “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;”
Jesus has “…the keys of hell and of death.” Keys denote power, the word here rendered as hell, is the Greek word ‘Hades’, which means the ‘grave.’ Jesus has power over the grave and death. 

We read in 1 Corinthians how when Jesus comes for the second time His great voice wakes up the dead in Jesus and they come forth from their sleep of death. The grave and death will then be destroyed. Let us read this in 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” What a glorious promise to those who put their trust in Jesus.
 Back to Revelation 1:20. “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, (that was in verse 16) and the seven golden candlesticks (that was in verses 12 & 13). The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”

The angels as used here are from the Greek word “Aggeloi” and it is understood to be the leadership or Elders of the church, and the seven candlesticks are the seven churches, which we will now study as we begin Revelation chapter 2. 

As I stated last week, the messages to the seven churches of John’s day dealt with their true spiritual condition. But it has a dual application as it deals with the seven periods that would cover the entire history of the Christian church from the apostolic church of the first century, the church of Ephesus, to the final church period of Laodicea, where we are today in the 21st century. We are not going to concern ourselves with the actual churches in John’s day, we will however concern ourselves with the condition of the Christian church through the seven periods of history. As we read the seven churches, we will notice that the condition is usually described, followed by a rebuke and then counsel and finally a promise.

That said, let’s begin reading verse 1 of chapter 2. “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;” The name Ephesus means desirable. It applied to the purity of the Apostolic church, covering the period of 31 A.D. to 100 A.D. 
 
Verse 2. “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:” 
Upon examination Jesus finds fault with the condition of the church. They were a busy church, but they neglected to cherish Christ’s compassion and tenderness. Self was exalted and they liked to fight and argue for the gospel, more than showing love. False apostles and teachers were found in the church.
Jesus goes on in verse 3, “And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.” In other words they were not wearied as they patiently persevered.  

The rebuke comes next in verse 4, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” In view of the many virtues enumerated, how striking is the charge brought against the church at Ephesus: "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." This church had been highly favored. It was planted by the apostle Paul. In the same city was the temple of Diana, which, in point of grandeur, was one of the marvels of the world. The Ephesians church met with great opposition, and some of the early Christians suffered persecution; and yet some of these very ones turned from the truths that had united them with Christ's followers, and adopted, in their stead, the specious errors devised by Satan.

Then Jesus gives the counsel in verse 5, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” This change is represented as a spiritual fall. "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works"--as outlined in the preceding verses. The believers did not sense their spiritual fall. They knew not that a change had taken place in their hearts, and that they would have to repent because of the non-continuance of their first works. But God in His mercy called for repentance, for a return to their first love and to the works that are always the result of true, Christ-like love.

Verse 6, “But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.” The doctrine is now largely taught that the gospel of Christ has made the law of God of no effect; that by "believing" we are released from the necessity of being doers of the Word. But this is the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which Christ so unsparingly condemned. Nicholas was one of the seven deacons who defected and taught the specious error, which is widely taught today. Some say that God’s Ten Commandment law was nailed to the cross, when it was the law of Moses that pertained to religious ceremony and animal sacrifice that was the law nailed to the cross.
 Verse 7 is the promise, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” If you “hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,” and meditate upon the instruction given to them, your ears will be closed to the folly and nonsense which surround you. You will neither hear and repeat these things, nor will you ever hanker after them. When Christ satisfies the soul hunger, these trivialities are to you distasteful and disgusting. You have no desire to feast upon them, but choose instead the bread of heaven.

Well it seems like we just get started and it’s time to end our study. We will continue with verse 8 and the second church at Smyrna next week. The period of history covered by this church was from 100 AD to 323 AD and was know as the church of persecution.

Time is up for this week, so be tuned in next week as we study “Revelation’s Seven Churches – Part 3”.	

	If you want some more information or even Bible studies, contact me by writing to: Pastor Vaughn that’s V-A-U-G-H-N, at PO Box 727, South Hill, VA 23970. Once again that’s Pastor Vaughn that’s V-A-U-G-H-N, at PO Box 727, South Hill, VA 23970.  
	And remember, you are always welcome to worship with us each seventh day Lord’s Day (that’s Saturday mornings) at the Victory Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 117 W. Danville Street in the center of South Hill, VA. 
	Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.