FAMINES, We need to take note of the many areas of our world where the weather pattern is changing. A lack of rain or even too much rain will destroy crops creating shortages of food. Wars and revolutions leave empty fields and empty stomachs.
PESTILENCE, plagues. Some diseases that have been illuminated in some areas of the world have mutated and are now returning with a vengeance. There are nations of the world that have a fifty percent of their population sick with HIV or aids. Mt. 24:7 Mind you, these are only the BEGINNING of sorrows. Mt. 24: 8
PERSECUTION will prevail. Christians will betray Christians. Even members of the family will betray other members of their own family. Mt. 24:10 A multitude of false prophets will arise deceiving many. Mt. 24:11
INIQUITY SHALL ABOUND and many will wax cold or turn from the Lord. Mt. 24:12 There is no need to go in to detail on these many signs. Just listen, watch or read the daily news and the great increase of sin and lawlessness is blatantly the practice of the day.
IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS THE LORD WILL HAVE A CHURCH. A church that is the result of the prayer of the Lord Jesus. He prayed for total and absolute unity in His church. This is not a man made church but one built on the principles and ministry of the Word and the Spirit. The harmony of this church is akin to the unity of the Godhead. That <THEY MAY BE ONE>. One in and by the Holy Spirit. There is no other way for unity but by the help of the Spirit. Blended together by the teaching of the WORD of God. An invitation given to be unified with the Godhead. Jn. 17:21 <ONE IN US>. When we are ONE with the Lord we will be ONE with one another and be the perfect church, the bride of Christ. EXAMPLE. The early church, ONE ACCORD. Precious, precious babes in Christ. Acts 2:46 The WHOLE MULTITUDE of believers were of ONE HEART AND ONE SOUL. Acts 4:32 EXHORTATION of the Apostles. Peter: Be ALL of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brothers. 1 Pet. 3:8 Paul: Being of one accord, of one mind. There is much more written urging the church to be ONE. The beauty of all this is that here will be a church in the last days that will know the Lord in such depth as to by ONE with Him. Jesus did not pray in vain. His prayer will be fulfilled. A real outpouring of the Spirit will unify the true church and make them to be ONE.
THERE IS ONLY ONE SHEPHERD. Therefore there can only be one flock. These are sheep that listen to His voice. Jn. 10:16 These are watched over and protected by the mighty name of the Father, which He also shared with His son. Again in His prayer, He prayed for unity among His own. Jn. 17:11 The glory of the Father which He gave to the Lord Jesus, passed on to His people, that they may be one. Christ in them. The Father in Christ. The key to being made perfect and in unity. When we are in such a deep relationship with Christ, we will see the perfect church in God like oneness. Again, this is the prayer of the Lord Jesus. It will be answered. Jn. 17: 22-23
THERE IS ONLY ONE BODY. As the Lord formed Eve for Adam, so the Lord is forming a Bride for His Son. Our willingness to assume our position in the body and to recognize other members as being equally placed in the body is vital for unity. We are all one in Christ Jesus. Without that unity we cannot function as a part of His body. Rom. 12:5 Contention or strife is to be toward unity not division. Standing firmly together as one man upholding the belief, the faith that is taught in the Word. Phil. 1:27 There is to be no division in the body, what a challenge. Spirituality is certainly determined by obedience to the Lord and His Word. We are to have equal care or concern toward every member of the body of Christ. His body or His church dwells in flawless unity. I Cor. 12:25 O the challenges to our human spirit. Doctrinally, His church will all teach the same doctrine. The Holy Spirit, who is to reveal all truth to us, certainly is not teaching one thing to one person and then something that is contrary to another. The teachings of men cause division and sometimes even create a bitter spirit that is difficult to heal. Somewhere soon, there must be a humbling of the mind and spirit which will produce unity in a comprehension of the Word. His body will be perfect and perfectly united as one in all aspects. 1 Cor. 1:10 The power of love, the love of God, manifest in His body and love one toward another is the force with which this shall be accomplished. Possessing the mind of Christ and holding to His attitude as taught in the Word is our strength to accomplish the task before us. Never should we act with self interest, strife or a selfish attitude. but, contrariwise in all humility considering others better than ourselves. Lord, grant us the mind of Christ. Phil. 2:2-5 Christ being ALL and in ALL is the unifying factor of the body. Sectarianism, human divisions have no place in the body of Christ. We are to take unto ourselves His life style and attitude. Forgiveness is a strong element in the unity of the body. However embarrassing or however humbling it might be, it is necessary to the unity of the body. The full measure of the forgiveness of Christ is our example. Let us exemplify Him in ever aspect of our lives. Col. 3:11-14 Lord have mercy upon us and help us to do your will.
LETTERS TO THE CHURCH OF THE LAST DAYS. In each of the letters to the seven churches we find commendations where they were in order. With these words of praise there was often a charge to correct that which was lacking or contrary to good Christian living. It is the latter that we will be considering. In a perfect church these conditions would not exist and therefore must be corrected. What better time than now for an alteration of Christian standards in our lives, to conform to the will and purpose of the Lord.
THE FIRST CHARGE AGAINST THE CHURCH. The loss or abandonment of that first, fervent, all consuming love. Rev. 2:4 The Lord Jesus made a chilling statement in relationship to our love for the Lord. He gave the cause as an increase, an abounding of wickedness and iniquity. The KJV states that <many>, while the NIV says that <most> would suffer a chilled love for the Lord. That really calls for some soul searching to determine our love status before the Lord. Mt. 24:12 The Holy Ghost is once again the instrument which feeds and flames the fires of love within our bosom. Through Him, the love of God is poured out from the Lord into our spirit nature. A lessening of the fervor and workings of the Spirit in our life is responsible for chilled love. Rom. 5:5
BE AWARE OF THE HEIGHT FROM WHICH YOU HAVE FALLEN. Words spoken to awake and alert the church to their spiritual position. A call to awaken and return to something most precious, that is their love for the Lord. Repentance, requires that the need for doing so, first be recognized as being something that is necessary. True repentance will be accompanied by a broken and contrite heart and spirit. It will result in different attitudes in every aspect of natural and spiritual life. Rev. 2:5 The requirement of the Lord is also to <do the first works>. Not our works of righteousness but His. The restoration and maintenance of a life that will glorify the Lord. Building on scriptural principles, allowing the Word and the Spirit to instruct and guide into all holiness. 2 Tim. 3:16-17 The consequences: The removal of the candlestick. This constitutes not only the elimination of leadership but also a blindness that would cut off a true comprehension of the Word and the workings of the Spirit. Resulting in darkness. If the light becomes darkness, how great is that darkness? Mt. 6:23 This church, without repentance, would become vulnerable to every misleading doctrine and spirit that is loosed in the world. This is highly dangerous, especially in these last days where there is an onslaught of strange spirits and false teachings. Dear Lord grant that we have the humility to respond to your Word and recognize the need for repentance, where necessary, and react in a manner pleasing to you.
WHEN IS IT PROPER TO HATE? The Lord hated the <DEEDS> of the Nicolaitans. Please take special note that is the deeds that are hated. Nicolaus represents the heretic with an attitude and purpose of triumphing over and ruling the people of God. Rev. 2:6 This is a practice that has been present in the church over its whole history. As a Christian we must hate iniquity and love righteousness. Heb. 1:9 This is a vital priority for having the anointing of the Spirit in our lives and in our churches. May our sensitivity to that which is sinful be equal to every teaching of the WORD. When the Spirit of the Lord is moving there is a real repulsion for that which is contrary to sound doctrine. We are to hate even the garment that is spotted by the flesh. Jude 1:23 To hate situations of this nature would require that we are not involved nor condone practices contrary to the Word. The church needs to reevaluate its standards and bring them in line with the will of the Lord. May our ears be attune to the voice of the Spirit.
OVERCOME AND EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE. The negative side of this challenge is, that if we do not overcome we will not participate in nor eat of the tree of life. That is certainly a predicament that we want to avoid in the worst way. Rev. 2:7 The tree of life is eternal, it has always been. The eternal Son of God dispensed the waters of eternal life. He is from everlasting to everlasting. Jn. 4:14 The fruit of the tree, eternal life, has always been available to mankind. It was the center, the very heart of the garden of Eden. Gen. 2:9 Wisdom and understanding, particularly that which originates from the scriptures, is a tree of life. Life and happiness are found by participating of the tree of life. Pr. 3:18 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life. They possess the life of the Lord and offer it to others that they too may eat of life everlasting. Pr. 11:30 The satisfying of a longing or a desire of the heart is likewise accounted as a tree of life. How wonderfully true this is when, what is desired for, is for things spiritual. A healing tongue, a voice of truth, a positive word, a word of encouragement is a tree of life. Pr. 15:4 The most dynamic view of the tree of life is that of the Revelation, where its location is right in the center of the New Jerusalem, and rightly so. It is seen as a great tree, drawing its sustenance from the river of life which flows from the throne of the Godhead. It will yield twelve manner or kinds of fruit for it is composed of the twelve tribes of spiritual Israel. Every month, twelve times a year it yields a crop. Twelve times twelve? Its leaves bring spiritual and physical healing to the nations of the world, even now. Rev. 2:7 The book of Revelation uses the language of the symbol. Do not be surprised if this tree does not appear as we may have visualized it. It a spiritual tree and will be vastly different from what our natural minds depict. Access to the tree of life and its nourishment is made available to those who are obedient to the Word of Life. It is much, much more than just a fruit tree. It is LIFE, The very LIFE of GOD. Rev. 22:14
A MESSAGE OF CONSOLATION. Addressed to a church that had suffered persecution and would yet see oppression. The church at Symrna {meaning myrrh which is typical of suffering}. A brief letter yet filled with encouragement and compassion. It was from the eternal one, the first and the last, the Lord Jesus. Here reminding them of His death and resurrection thus assuring them that should they become martyrs, resurrection and life eternal awaited them. Rev. 2:8.
IRONICALLY NOT ALL CHURCHES WILL BE RICH. Nor will all Christians. And that is in the present tense. The Lord was very alert to their works, their tribulations and their poverty. But, He reassured them that there are riches that are not based on temporal or monetary standards. They were RICH. They were the poor in the world riches but were RICH IN FAITH. Faith is better exercised in things Spiritual and not material. Heirs of the coming eternal kingdom. James 2:5 There are riches that can dissipate overnight and then there are those that are everlasting. Which is best? They suffered afflictions from outside their ranks and within from those who claimed to be Jews but were not, causing division.
FEAR NOT. Tormenting fears are overcome by the perfect love that is bestowed upon from above and our response with the same. 1 Jn. 4:18 The words of the Lord Jesus sound much like today. Some were destined for prison and tribulation would be theirs for a designated period of time. The ten days represent ten years. The church today in many areas of the world is facing great repression. There are and will be many more who are martyred for the cause of Christ. Faithfulness, steadfastness can only result in a crown of life for those who maintain their faith, regardless of circumstances.
THE SAME MESSAGE IS SOUNDED TO EACH OF THE CHURCHES. It must be a word that is for all of the church age. The Lord has given us the hearing ear. May we learn to use it well. We all well know, that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Rom. 10:7 Unfortunately we have those who hear but do not hear. They understand the words but the meaning of the words they are not able to comprehend. Mt. 13:13 The Word must be quickened by the Spirit of God. In this manner the WORD becomes a living WORD. The voice of the Spirit is contained within the written Word. We have not yet exhausted all of its teachings and subtleties. The Word will continue to reveal its mysteries until all has been fulfilled. All who overcome are assured that they will not be touched by the second death, which is eternal separation from the Living God. Those designated for second death, or the lake of fire are listed. Rev. 21:8 The antichrist and the false prophet will be there. Rev. 19:20 Satan himself will be there. Rev. 20:10 Not a very pleasant crowd with whom they must associate.(end).