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Revelation 4

I hope that you will receive this blessing as you continue to remember that there are blessings in those who keep the words of prophecy that we have read, heard and written. Last time we studied about the church in Ephesus. It is important to know that the church in Ephesus did a lot of work, but in the end, they abandoned the first love. If there is anything that makes me happier other than the fact that I have been saved, it is a sign that we are not remembering our first love and we are losing our first love. If we let that go, we will lose our joy and our heart will become hardened. Therefore, remembering the message of the Lord, when we do God’s work, not because of my zeal, but we do it with thanksgiving because of the joy of my salvation. When the work is done in love that ignites brotherly love, everything will be rejoicing in the Lord. In particular, this Ephesian church was rebuked, but the Lord said in Revelation 2:6 (KJV) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

To add a little more, Nicholaitans act in which the clergy and the laity are strictly separated, and the clergy dominate the laity. This is what God hates. In fact, we are all brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, and only our Lord should be exalted. However, the ministers of the office-bearers were given the privilege of witnessing the Word from the pulpit. Spiritual authority. You shouldn’t focus on anything other than that. We must testify only to the word of the Lord with fear. This Ephesian church was praised for hating the actions of the Nicholaitans. The bible mentions overcomers. In fact, the Bible says that faith overcomes the world. The Apostle John testified that in this day and age, those who believe in and receive Jesus Christ and are saved are those who overcome the world. Those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, those who believe in how He will be glorified and will restore all things, then there will be eternal blessings, no matter what the world may bring, they will not be discouraged. This is the power of faith. The Holy Spirit said through the Apostle John that it is not believing vaguely, but a faith rooted in the Word, and that faith is power.

Today, we will continue to look at what kind of church is Smyrna is through the letter sent to the church starting from 2:8. Once again, the seven churches are historical churches, but they contain the model of all the churches in the present end times.This is also a message to all churches. It tells us to find out the wrongdoings, to find out what has been praised, and to be prepared to know ourselves to be truly pleasing to the Lord when we stand before Him. I hope this will be a blessed word when you read 2:8-11 today.Revelation 2:8-11 (KJV) And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

The Church of Smyrna is a type of church that historically existed from AD 200 until the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. This church was under persecution. Smyrna means myrrh.The Lord received myrrh during His persecutions. It is bitterness.It is pain and sufferings. Officially and historically, the church has been persecuted 10 times. Thousands of saints were killed during this persecution. The more saints were killed, the more saints increased and multiplied. In “The Book of Martyrs” by John Foxe, you can see in great detail during the medieval times how many Christians the Roman church killed according to the Bible, and how they were killed and even has pictured scenes of martyrdom. If you are a Christian, I recommend that you read this book. We have to realize the identity of the Roman church of the past. This is the church that commanded and martyred. They are a rich in the eyes of God. The world only sees their deeds, tribulations, and poverty, but on the contrary, The Lord considered them to be rich. We should be rich in the sight of the Lord also. Not because of the perishable carnal riches of the world, but the pure faith toward the Lord even though there is nothing, and faith that is persecuted because of the Lord. The Lord said: Rejoice and leap for joy when you are persecuted for my name. Your reward is great in heaven. Those who see the reward in heaven and leap for joy are truly children of God. In these last days, a person will appear to say carnalwealth, gain and material abundance is godliness. That is not godliness. Those who truly obey and preach the word of God, those who give up Worldly materials and devote themselves to preaching the word of God are truly wealthy. In verse 9, we see the blasphemy of those who claim to be Jews. What is a self-proclaimed Jew? They are literally non-Jews who lie proclaiming they’re a Jew. It is the synagogue of Satan. In the past 100 years, many self-proclaimed Jewish doctrines have emerged.

A typical example is the Roman Catholic Church. They claim that the apostle Peter was the first pope. The Jehovah’s Witnesses proclaim they are the 144,000.While some others teach the Jewish law must be obeyed. These are just a few among the many. Christians can never be Jews. What did the apostle Paul say? Romans 1:16 (KJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. 1 Corinthians 10:32 says there are three groups in this world. There are Jews and Gentiles and the Church of God. Physically, there are caucasians, blacks, and Asians, but spiritually, Jews and Gentiles, the church of God, a gathering of believers who have received Jesus Christ and have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit.So, Christians are spiritual Jews, Christians can never be a Jew physically. The Jew according to the flesh are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the people of Israel. These Jews killed the Messiah and were taken captive to Babylon in the old days. In 70 AD, Jerusalem was devastated by the Roman general Titus and the inhabitants were scattered all over the world. Thus,God completely had forsaken them from the time of their dispersion and the covenant set with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob has come to an end. That is why allcovenants have been transferred to the church. This doctrine is the doctrine of Satan, and this is the doctrine of the self-proclaimed Jews. With such doctrines and ideologies started to rise because Israel is completely cut off from God, it is not sin to persecute and kill the Jews. Due to such ideologies, Hitler did not have any remorse for murderingJews with the blessings of Roman catholic Church during World War II.The same goes for the Crusades. That’s why we are able to see through God’s Word that God never abandoned the Jews. When the Lord comes to this earth in the future, the Jews will repent and be saved as a nation. Zechariah 12, 13, and 14, clearly show it, and in many other books of the Bible, the Prophets, Psalms, and the 5 Books of Moses. That is why we should never think that the Jews were completely forsaken, but we should know clearly that during their times of wickedness, the Gentiles had the opportunity to be saved and become children of Godfor the past 2,000 years,and the Jews were never completely abandoned. So, the Lord said in 2:10, be faithful until death. Then I will give you the crown of life. This is not about eternal life. Eternal life is given if anyone accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, repents of their sins, confesses that they are sinners, and believes. But what’s the difference between a crown and eternal life? It is clearly stated that there are people who have received eternal life but do not receive the crownat the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat of Christ is where Christians are judged for their deeds. When the Lord comes into the air, the raptured saints go up to heaven to be judged and rewarded for what they have done at the judgment seat of Christ during the 7-year tribulation is happening on this earth. It is at the judgment seat of Christ that believer receives rebuke and rewards accordingly. Unbelievers will be judged at the end of the Millennial Kingdom at the Great White Throne Judgment of Godby falling into the lake of fire. That is why Christians are judged. 2 Corinthians 5:8-10 clearly tells us. 2 Corinthians 5:8-10 (KJV) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Therefore, the judgment seat of Christ is where Christians are judged according to what they have done. 1 Corinthians 3 says, the foundation is Jesus Christ, and houses are built upon it, some with gold, silver, and precious stones, and others with straw, grass, or stubbles. When you are judged with fire and everything burns up, there will be no crown, no rewards. Those who have done God’s work, do not burn. All those who have done carnal works are burned up. That’s why we need to know this.

There are 5 crowns. If we take a quick glance at them, the first is in James 1:12 (KJV) Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.Then, in 1 Peter 5:4, The crown of glory. It is the crown given to the shepherds who feed the Lord’s flock well and are truly exemplary. Then in1 Thessalonians 2:19-20,there is a crown of rejoicing. Apostle Paul said: 1 Thessalonians 2:20 (KJV) For ye are our glory and joy.Crown of rejoicing is given to those who have led many to Jesus Christ. Next in1 Corinthians 9:25, thereis an incorruptible crown. This is the crown given to those who are not self-indulgent, always watchful, praying, and self-controlled. Finally, in 2 Timothy 4:8, there is thecrown of righteousness given to all who earnestly long for the coming of the Lord. What is a crown? It is a headpiece worn by the king. Many people were martyred at The Persecuted Church of Smyrna. At the end of this period, emperor Constantine the Great of Rome realized the only way to maintain the eastern and western empires was to embrace Christians and pretend to be Christians. He proclaimed to have seen a vision in his dreamby mixing Babylonian religion with Christianity as part of the Roman Empire. Thus, the Church of Rome began, and this began historically at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. You need to know this as well. Revelation 2:11 (KJV) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. We Christians have already overcome. Those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, those who believe that they will go to heaven even if they die will overcome the world. Because the world is temporal, even if the Antichrist comes and reigns, he will eventually be thrown into the lake of fire by the Lord, and everything, incljding lust of this will pass away. Believers can overcome anything in this world. Even though they were torn to pieces to death by lions, the martyrs of old died rejoicing. They died while singing hymns. People like Ignatius told the lion to eat his head first because it would take too long to meet the Lord if he was eaten starting from his feet.Why? This is evidence of true faith. Those who believe they will live even if they died this moment, and when they believe while living in Christ will never die are those who overcome the world. What is the second death? It’s in Revelation 20:14-15, Revelation 20:14-15 (KJV) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Those who die without believing now go to hell. Hell is in the fire of the earth. Later when the Millennium Kingdom ends and the Great White Throne Judgment comes to an end, the entire hell itself will fall into the lake of fire, Satan will also fall into the lake of fire. The false prophet and the antichrist, the beast, is there already. We need to know that the day of Trinity of the devil, the antichrist, and the false prophets will all fall into the lake of fire is approaching before our eyes. Those who believe in Jesus Christ will live even if they die, and those who belive while living will never die. The second death is what we can overcome. This is overcoming the world. Overcomer is not who enjoys glorifies himself because of the abundance of materials, but someone who has faith. May these blessings be with you.

From 2:12 onwards is a letter to the Church of Pergamos. Revelation 2:12-17 (KJV) And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. 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 hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receivethit.The angel writing to the church of Pergamos had a sharp double-edged sword. Our Lord, who is writing unto the messenger of the Church of Pergamos, stands with sharp double-edged sword. As we talked about last time, one edge of the sword is for judgment and the other for grace. He accusesthe sinners. “You are a sinner you must go to hell; you are cursed.”That’s one edge of the sword. Those who hear these words and repent and come to the Lord will receive the blessing, comfort and healing from the other edge of the sword. That is, God has two edges while Satan only has one. Satan’s sword steals, kills, and destroys. But the sword of the Lord contains edge of judgment, but also an edge of grace and healing. The definition Pergamos is many marriages. In other words, it is a church that has separated from God and united with the world. This is the Dark Ages, the Medeival times between 325 and 500 AD after the Council of Nicaea. With the rise of the Roman Church comes a dark age. You are well aware of this. It is the church that married the world after the Council of Nicaea. It is a church mixed with Babylon. Verse 12 saysthere is a sharp sword with two edges. This is the message of judgment. Verse 13 says they live where Satan dwells. Of historical interest, the various Babylonian religious practices of the faded Babylonian mystical priesthood were transferred from Babylon to Pergamos in 133 BC. This faded Babylonian priesthood moved into the Roman Church in AD 313. In other words, Roman religion was a mixture of Babylon paganism and Christianity. We should know that at the Council of Nicaea, when Constantine united the church with the world and created a church-state, he took on the mysterious Babylonian religion of the Old Testament.

Let’s turn to verse 14. The main rebuke of this church is the doctrine of Balaam. Balaam said to curse the nation of Israel. Following Balak’sinstructions, we see Balaam take the goods and praying. But God turned those curses into blessings. This is found in Numbers 25:1-8. Verse 15we see them keeping the doctrine of the Nicholaitans. The doctrine of Nicholaitans distinguishes between the clergy and the laity, where the clergy dominates the laity dressed in fancy robes,making them look divine standing behind the pulpit. But the Lord said, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. The Holy Spirit has spoken. Brothers and sisters, all equal. However, spiritual authority was given to pastors, other ministers or missionaries to testify to God’s Word.

A message to repent appears in verses 16 and 17. It is the doctrine of Jesus Christ will not return to this earth. That’s Post-millennialism and amillennialism. Roman emperor Constantineconsolidated his empirealong with the church, by uniting the pagans and Christianity.No matter how many Christians he killed, he witnessed their growing revival so he eventually became a self-proclaimed Christian to unifyChristianity with Babylonian paganismto create the Roman catholic church. 2 Peter 3:3-4 (KJV) Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.This is proof that the doctrine of Jesus Christ not coming to this earth or he will not reign for a thousand years after he comes to earth, existed since then. In fact, many Christian feasts originated from Babylon. We need to know them as reference. Christmas (December 25) can also be used as a day to testify of Jesus Christ on that day, but it is important to know that it is a day set by Babylonian religion as a day to worship the sun god. They set the sun’s day as the first day of the week. However, Christians gather on Sunday to commemorate the resurrection on the first day after the Sabbath. However, we do know that it is not biblical to institute this day, but we should use the birth of Christ to preach the gospel. So, from the time of the Pergamos church, the doctrine of the cult of the Virgin Mary began, the doctrine of purgatory, and the doctrine of a great curse wheresalvation is not only by faith but also by works, and the Apocrypha was included in the Bible of the Roman Church. Not only that, as the times got darker, the more passionate the evangelists preached the gospel. People like Chrysostompreached the gospel of to be born again by preaching hellfire, curses, and regeneration. He was imprisoned and exiled, and spent the rest of his life in the Black Sea because he committed iniquity by preaching the gospel that you must be born again otherwise if you do not believe in Jesus Christ you will go to hell with curses. There he translated the standard Greek text into Russian. As the Apostle Paul testified, God made this the evidence as he said that the body is bound, but the word is not bound. John of Antioch in AD 441 was an example of an evangelist during this dark age. In 389 AD St. Patrick of Ireland. You’ve all heard of St. Patrick’s Day. Who is he? He too preached hellfire, curses, rebirth, and premillennialism. When he went into the Irish forest and beat the drums to gather the natives, he preached:“You must be born again. You must be born again to enter the kingdom of God.!”He preached the gospel loud and clear like this. Today, we are living in a time when it is difficult to hear the message of hellfire, curses, regeneration, and the Lord’s Millennial Kingdomlike St. Patrick of Ireland.We’ve got to tell the people that they will end up in hell if they don’t believe in Jesus Christ.  This is the power of the gospel. Satan deceives the churches: “Keep it inside the church, you can worship, do all sorts of little programs, and socialize as much as you want, but you must never go out and preach the gospel.” This church is a rescue ship. A church that shines light. The church shoul not only worship and have fellowship inside. We must go out and become a living church that bears witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord will be pleased. Isn’t this the power of the church?

Jesus Christ is the sun, and the church is like the moon, receiving the light of the sun and reflecting it on this dark earth. That is why the Earth rotates in the opposite direction to the Sun and the Moon rotates in the same direction as the Sun. This is also a natural revelation from God. Now, we must turn in the same direction as the Lord, the Sun of Righteousness, and preach the gospel of Christ to save even one more person. Otherwise, those who are not born again will not be able to be raptured and will fall into tribulation, be killed, and receive a tremendous curse. Now is the time. Verification devices are embedd within U.S. Passport books. Seeing this, we Christians should wake up to pray and preach to save even one more person. Let us bow our heads in prayer this time. We will have another moment to repent before the Lord. The Lord is pleased when we examine ourselves once more whether we are preaching the gospel at this time or we are following the lusts of the flesh. Is there anyone who has not been saved living in their 70s or 80s? Nothing can give you eternal life. Only our Lord Jesus Christ can give you eternal life. If you pray together at this time, eternal life will come to you as well. When you open your heart and receive Jesus Christ as if you breathe in the air, the eternal Spirit, the power of lifewill enter into you and give life to your dead spirit, save your soul, and your body will be saved when the Lord comes.You will receive such blessing as we pray together at this time. [God, I am a sinner. All my life I have sinned and lived in sin. But I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, blotted out all sins, and rose from the dead on the third day. As I receive Jesus Christ at this time, please come into me and regenerate my spirit, so that I may see the kingdom of God, and let the Holy Spirit now guide me to the truth so that I can live on this earth in the truth, and live with you in the eternal kingdom of heaven. I thank you and pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen! Hallelujah!