Revelation Lesson 4

Revelation --Lesson 4

Messages to 3 of the 7 Churches

Hi! Welcome back. As you know, this is the second lesson, in a series of two, concerning the specific messages of Jesus to the 7 Churches in Asia.

Last week, in Lesson 3, we looked at the message to (fill in the blanks) Churches of

1. ______________________

2. ______________________

3. ______________________

4. ______________________

This Week we will look at the messages to:

5. _____Sardis____________

6. _____Philadelphia________

7. _____Laodicea__________

We'll begin with Sardis. You will want to refer back to your chart in Lesson 3 about

the messages to refresh your memory and also read Chapter 3 again. Do that now.

***************Pause while you locate and review your chart ****************

of the Messages to the 7 Churches

and while you read Chapter 3 of Revelation.

Great! Now that you have refreshed your memory about what Jesus said, to the Churches, let's consider what Christ said to the Church at Sardis. And, again, some background information about this city will be helpful in clarifying why Jesus said what He said.

SARDIS

Sardis.... the DEAD Church

Sardis was the capital city of Lydia and was located about 50 miles East of Smyrna. It was known for its great wealth and its flourishing carpet industry. (Hmmmm. Kinda reminds us of Dalton, Ga.) Coins were first minted here. It had been one of the greatest cities in the known world approximately 700 years before John wrote them their message from Jesus. Sardis was located at an elevation of about 1500 feet and was on a high narrow plateau with the sides of the plateau's ridge consisting of smooth precipices which were exceedingly difficult to climb and, therefore, the city was almost impregnable. Only where the spur met the ridge of Mt. Timolus was there any possible approach and even that was hard and steep....but...it was conquered at least 2 times when the guards didn't watch or were asleep!. Later Sardis grew larger and became two towns, one on the ridge and the other on the mountain top. After Cyrus conquered it, he taught them to NOT have weapons and instead to play lutes. You can imagine what that did for its defenses! During its days as a Roman city, it became an important Christian center, but the church at Sardis was affected by the complacency of the lute-playing' city which relied on past glory (3:1)

So, the church was a dead church. It had a thriving healthy external appearance but inside was inner decay. The most impressive building in Sardis was its magnificent Temple of Artemis, built in the 4th century BC. The temple was 327 ft. Long, 163 ft wide and had 78 ionic columns each 58 feet high.

Hmmmm. Very interesting.

? And, did you notice that some of the things that Jesus said to this church are similar to what Jesus said to the church at Ephesus? For example, He mentioned their (3:1) ____________ .

Yes, their DEEDS. Yet, in the case of this Church, at Sardis, what specifically did Jesus

say about their Deeds? Write it here: (3:1-2)

_____________________________________________________________________

It is also interesting that the REMEDY which Christ proposed was similar to what the Church of Ephesus was told. What were the Ephesians told to do? (Remember the 3 R's? in 2:5)

_________________________________

Yes, the Ephesians were told to Remember the deeds they did at first, to Repent...and to Redo.....

? Now, WHAT did Jesus tell the Church at Sardis to do? (3:3)

__________________________________________________________________

? So, what about YOU?

Does anything that Jesus is saying to the Church at Sardis apply to you?

Are your deeds also incomplete in God's sight?

And what makes a deed incomplete?

What was wrong with their deeds? What is wrong with your deeds?

Hmmmmmm. Those are somewhat rhetorical questions, but you do need to think upon these things. And, again, if you need to talk with God concerning your deeds and your life, Do that NOW. Don't put it off.

****************pause while you think ***************

Ok! Ready to continue on? Ok. Let's look now at some interesting background information concerning the Church at Philadelphia and see how this sheds light upon why Jesus said what He said to this church. Read Rev. 3:7-13 to refresh your memory.

PHILADELPHIA

Faithful Church

The name of this city, Philadelphia, means "brotherly love", from the Greek words ,Phileo (#5368 love, tender affection) and Adelphos (#80 brother, near kinsman). It was located about 28 miles SE of Sardis, on the Cogamus river, at the upper end of a broad valley, and was the center of the wine industry. It's chief deity, not surprisingly, was Dionysus, who, in Greek mythology, was the god of wine (aka, the Roman Bacchus.) Philadelphia had a large Jewish population and was also a very important center of Greek Culture. In about AD 17 it was destroyed by an earthquake but was soon rebuilt by Tiberius Caesar. Today this city is known as Alasehir or Allah-shehr ( the City of God'), with a population of about 16,000. The remains of several ancient Churches have been excavated there..

Jesus had several things to say to this church. And everything He said, is, of course, very important.

And it is very interesting that Jesus had NO Criticisms or Complaints for this church, so I assume you left that column blank on your chart. You did, didn't you?

Anyway, yes, Jesus had several things to say to this Church and two things are particularly interesting and may have some bearing on things which we will observe later in the Book of Revelation.

Thing One: In 3:8, Jesus made a comment about an "Open Door." What was that comment? Write it here:

_________________________________________________________________

Now, a question that has caused much debate among Theologians is "What IS the open door"? Some say it is :a 'door of opportunity for service and ministry.' Other Theologians say that the "open door is the door to the Kingdom of God." We will NOT solve that question right now. But, I just wanted you to be aware of it and the controversy. But, for now, just put that question in your "I'm thinking about that" area of your mind ,and be thinking upon it as we continue on through

this course. It IS an important question.

Thing Two: In 3:10-11, Jesus tells the people of the Church of Philadelphia that He is going "to keep you from (EK) the hour of trial that is going to come...." Write those two verses here:

______________________________________________________________

Now, look again at the phrase, "I will also keep you from (EK) the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world, to test those who live on the earth." Underline or highlight that phrase in your Bible and in this lesson.

This (Rev. 3:10-11) is a very important and very encouraging passage. We will be back to it and other similar verses later in this course. But for now, notice that the word 'FROM' which is used in the phrase "keep you FROM (EK) the hour of trial" is the Greek preposition EK, which (according to Vines) can mean from, out, out of, out from, from the midst of.

So, this word, EK, can mean either "keep you from undergoing" OR "keep you through."

Hmmmm. Now that is a significant difference in meaning!

And, the way one is "kept ..." can be by

being kept from being in it in the first place (from, out)
being in it but being brought out of or out from it (from, out of, out from, from the midst of)
being in it but being kept while in it (from, from the midst of)

? What is the "hour of temptation" ( Greek 3986, Periasmos, which means, according to Vines, 'trials with a beneficial purpose and effect ... or... trials or temptations divinely permitted or sent... ) that is being referred to here?

Before you answer that question, read the following verses which refer to or explain about the 'hour of temptation' and appear to be referring to the same period of time. You will notice that this time is also referred to as a time of WRATH (3709 ORGE...anger.....Vine's explains this as being.... the strongest of all passions ... and gives examples in the NT where it is used of the wrath of man...the displeasure of human governments...the suffering of the Jews at the hands of the Gentiles... the terrors of the law.... the anger of the Lord Jesus....God's anger with Israel in the wilderness... in referring to God's present anger with those who disobey the Lord Jesus in His gospel, ...and concerning God's purposes in judgement.)

As you read these NIV verses, underline the description of what occurs during time of anger or wrath or time of distress. I will do the first one for you as an example by putting in bold type what you would underline.:

Daniel 12:1 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your (Daniel's) people (the Jews) will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people --everyone whose name is found written in the book -- will be delivered.

Matt 24:21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now -- and never to be equaled again.

Mark 13:19 ...because those days will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now -- and never to be equaled again.

I Thess 1: 10 ...and to wait for His Son from heaven, Whom He (God) raised from the dead --Jesus, Who rescues us from (EK) the coming wrath (3709 ORGE)

I Thess 5:9-10 For God hath not appointed us to wrath (ORGE)but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

Philippians 3:18-20 For as I (Paul) have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.

Rev 6:15-1 7 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne and from the wrath (ORGE) of the Lamb! for the great day of their wrath (ORGE) has come and who can stand?"

Rev. 7:13-14 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of (EK) the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

? So, what is the "hour of temptation? _______________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

? What, then, does 3:10-11 say to the Church of Philadelphia? What is Jesus

promising them? ___________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

? Could this possibly also apply to us? (Circle your answer)....YES.....NO....NOT SURE

Hmmmmm. These two comments about the OPEN DOOR and the coming HOUR OF TRIAL are really important comments that Jesus made to the Church of Philadelphia. We will not have time to look at them more deeply right now. But, hold these thoughts. We will be back to them later. For now, it is just important that you note that Jesus said them and begin to think about what they might mean.

LAODICEA

But, let's continue on. Now let's think about the final message of Jesus to the 7th of the 7 Churches, to the Church of Laodicea. Read Rev. 3:14-20.

Again, Jesus said some things that seem rather strange to us, but to the members of that church, His comments were very well understood. So, let me again give you some history and information about this church. Then, you, too, will better understand why Jesus said what He said to the Church of Laodicea.

LAODICEA....LUKEWARM CHURCH....

The city was founded by Antiochus who named it for his wife. It was a very wealthy banking center and had beautiful temples and theaters. It was the home of an outstanding and well-known Medical school and was famous for its eye salve called cellyrium. Laodicea was also noted for the manufacture of expensive garments of black glossy wool. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in AD 60. When this occurred, they were so rich that they were able to rebuild the city themselves without help from others. A letter addressed to the Laodiceans by Paul (Col 4:16) has apparently been lost. The site is today a deserted heap of ruins that the Turks call Eski Hisar, or old castle." The comment that they are neither cold nor hot...but lukewarm... had special significance to the Laodiceans because, they had some difficulty getting their water. To the south were very high mountains....with snow....so the Laods'...built an aqueduct to bring the cold water down from the mountains.When it left the mts, it was ice cold, but by the time it was down the mts and in Laodicea, it was lukewarm. In the valley at a distance from the city, were hot mineral springs that produced water so hot that steam was even produced. So they would take this hot water up to Laodicea, but, by the time it got there, it was no longer hot and it, too, had become lukewarm. So.... Jesus' words really got their attention. Also, ditto, re the cellyrium eye salve (since the Medical Center in their city was famous for its eye salve). Also the references to ... gold (since they were so wealthy) and to white garments (they produced black wool...) were messages meant to really speak to them. Apparently this congregation consisted of many lukewarm Christians. Since, the Lord Jesus Christ demands enthusiasm and total commitment from those who worship Him, and not lukewarmness (which they understood from the water situation), His comment that He will spew them out of His mouth, was very significant.

Hmmmmm. Again very interesting comments. And now you can see why Christ said the things He did to the Laodicean Church.

? But, What about YOU? Is Jesus also saying something to you? Are you a lukewarm Christian? Hmmm? And, if so, what is Christ's opinion of your relationship to Him if you are 'lukewarm'?

_________________________________________________________________

Yes, you are correct! The Lord God Jesus Christ does not like lukewarmness. He spews lukewarmness out of His mouth! He demands total commitment from those who worship and serve Him !!!! TOTAL!

Yes, Jesus gave these messages to the 7 churches for a reason! He wanted them to be fully committed to Him in every way, in every area of life. As we look back over the messages He gave to the 7 churches, We know they are messages to the churches....but they are also messages to US, to You and to ME. And we would be wise to examine ourselves and to heed Christ's warnings and to see if any of the complaints (criticisms) which He gave to the churches might possibly apply to you and me today.

So, let's ask ourselves:

? Am I totally committed to the Lord?

? What is my reputation as a child of God? Am I dead? Am I a hypocrite?

? What about my deeds? Am I only a hearer of the word? Or am I a doer?

? What are my garments like? Are they robes of Righteousness? Or are they spotted with the world?

? Am I dead? Do I need to wake up and strengthen what remains?

If God is speaking to you about any of these areas, stop right now. Do not go any farther in this lesson until you deal with whatever He is showing you about your life.Agree with God that He is correct and your life is not what it should be.Ask for His forgiveness.Then tell Him that you want to change. Ask Him to help you. He Will. That is His Desire. And that is why He has given us His Holy Spirit, to indwell believers (Christians) and to enable us to live and act in the way that pleases and Glorifies God. So, stop now and choose to obey and SERVE God and God alone.

************pause while you examine yourself and your life**************

and get things right with God.

Ok! I see you are back. That was quite a time of soul-searching, wasn't it!

PROMISES TO OVERCOMERS

And, now, I have GREAT news for you. Just as Jesus had criticisms and complaints about most of the churches, He also PROMISED all of them certain things IF they heeded His warnings and returned to Him and Served Him only.

Let's look at those Promises now, because, you know what, they apply to us, too!

Jesus Christ ended His message to each Church with a promise of a reward to those who are OVERCOMERS.

We want to look at those promises but first we need to know, What is an overcomer?

The Greek verb word for Overcomers, used in all these passages in Chapters 2 and 3, is NIKAO (#3528) and for you word buffs who like to parse your verbs, it is a Present, active, participle. The word, Nikao, means to be victor, to gain a victory, to be victorious.

Hmmmm. As a side note. Isn't it interesting that a famous brand of athletic sports wear (Nike) has adopted this Greek word as their logo and as the name of their clothing. I guess the idea is that if you wear their clothes and shoes, you'll be a winner, an overcomer. But, whose clothing (garments) do we really need to put on to be an overcomer? Read the following verses and circle the answers.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God so that

you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

Romans 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ,

and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Yes, our clothing of victory, our Overcomer's clothes are provided by the Lord God Jesus Christ. It is in His clothing of Righteousness and protection that we are able to overcome.

Awesome! God provides us EVERYTHING! What a wonderful God we Serve!

But, let's continue on and look at some other places in the Bible that mention OVERCOMERS and see if we can learn anything more about overcoming.

So Your assignment now is to:

1. Read the following verses and put a green circle (or any color of your choice) around every occurrence of the word OVERCOMER, or any word or words used in place of the word ( ie. overcomes, overcoming, etc.)

2.Also underline in the same color what each passage says concerning how or why a person becomes an overcomer or how one overcomes.

3.And finally, put a Black BOX around what it is that the overcomer overcomes.

Rev. 12:11 They overcame him ( Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I John 4:1-4 Dear friends (this is being written by John, yes the same John who wrote the book of Revelation) do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God; Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children are from God and have overcome them, because the One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

I John 5:4-5 For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

I John 2:12-14 I (John, yes, again, this is the same John who wrote the book of Revelation) write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name. I write to you, fathers, because you have know Him Who is from the beginning. I write to you , young men, because you have overcome the evil one, I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you have know Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

John 16:33 I (Jesus) have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I (Jesus) have overcome the world.

OK! Great! Now, based on what you know about the definition of the Greek word, Nikao, for overcomers and the scriptures you have just read and marked, Who are overcomers?

____________________________________________________________________

Yes, you are absolutely correct. All true believers in Jesus Christ (aka children of God, sons of God, the real and true church, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ) are overcomers.

? And, what is it that overcomers overcome? _____________________________

___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Yes, correct again. Overcomers overcome the world and the devil (the evil one) who is in the world. They also overcome evil, false prophets, every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus, and the spirit of the antichrist.

? Why do you think that Christ gave a specific promise to each church about overcoming?

__________________________________________________________________

Hmmm. That was an interesting and thought provoking question, wasn't it?

And, did you say something like: Christ gave a specific promise about overcoming to each church because in each church there were true believers as well as non-believers. And, although each church had its particular and specific problems, trials, tribulations, sufferings, etc., by being reminded of their reward for overcoming, the true believers were encouraged to not give up or be discouraged. And they were being encouraged to continue to keep their faith in God and to trust obey, love, and Serve Him only, regardless of their circumstances.

Well, obviously, it is essential to be able to overcome the world and the devil. So, the

next obvious question is How does one become an overcomer?

Refer back to those verses about overcomers which you just read and marked, especially 1 John 5:4-5. Then, in the space below, explain HOW a person becomes an overcomer.

_______________________________________________________________

Yes, you are soooooo correct. A person becomes an overcomer, not by wearing a specific brand of sports clothes, but by wearing (being covered by) the blood of the Lamb (Jesus Christ, who died as our sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin--yours and mine). We become overcomers when we confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior and accept that sacrifice as the atonement payment for our sins. Then, because Jesus overcame for us and because Jesus is in us (overcomers/believers) and is greater than he (the devil) who is in the world, we are able to overcome. So, we become overcomers by being born of God, by our faith (in Jesus to save us), by believing that Jesus is the Son of God, and because Jesus overcame the world. And, we become overcomers, by not loving life even to death.

Are YOU an overcomer?

Are you SURE?

If you are not sure that you are an overcomer, you can be sure!

The way to be an overcomer is to put your trust and faith in God and let Jesus be your Savior, Redeemer, Master, and Lord.

If you have NEVER trusted in Jesus, you can do that right now, this very minute. Pray this prayer.

Oh God,

I want to be an overcomer (your child). I want you to be my God forever.

I know that I have sinned and I ask your forgiveness. I repent of those sinful things and want to turn from my life of sin and of Serving self to a life of loving, Serving, and obeying you!

Take my life, God! Use it for Your glory and purposes.I give You total control of me!

From this point on, I desire to Serve You!

Thank you, Jesus, for dying for me so that I can live with you forever as an overcomer.

In Jesus' Name Amen.

Signed ____________________________________

Date _____________________

If you sincerely prayed and signed that prayer just now or have prayed one like it sometime in the past, you ARE an overcomer! You are a believer, a child of God, a Christian, a member of the body (the church), a part of the bride of Christ.

And, as an overcomer, even though you WILL (not maybe, but WILL) experience trials, problems, pains, tribulations, and sufferings, you can know that you are an overcomer and as an overcomer, you will one day overcome all of these difficulties and will spend eternity in heaven with God and all the other overcomers.

You, as an overcomer, can have confidence in the fact that the horrible events of the outpouring of the Wrath of God, described in Revelation, are NOT intended to punish overcomers.

The WRATH of God events, depicted in Revelation, are for the unbelievers -- for those who refuse to worship and SERVE the Lord Jehovah God and His Son Jesus Christ, the true Creator and King and Ruler and God !

Jesus Christ, therefore, not only gave these specific messages to the 7 churches, but He also is informing them (and us), in this book of Revelation, of the events which will ultimately occur.

WHY? Because it is God's desire that people turn to Him and accept His gift of Salvation and eternal life with Him (instead of judgement and eternal hell).

It is God's desire that the readers and hearers of this book of Prophecy (Revelation) will heed the warnings and turn to Him for salvation.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.

He is patient with you,

not wanting anyone to perish , but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

Those who don't heed these warnings, but continue on their sinful paths, refusing to Choose God as the one they will serve and obey, are destined for eternity in Hell. And, if they happen to be living at the time these events occur, and, if they still refuse to serve God, they will personally experience the Wrath of God events foretold in this book

A word to the wise.....

Are you Wise?

Are you an overcomer? If you prayed that prayer or one like it you are.If you aren't an overcomer, then, as my earthly father used to say: "Katie, bar the door!"

REWARDS FOR OVERCOMERS

And, speaking of overcomers and the many rewards which they (we) will receive, one would agree that just escaping the Wrath of God and being able to live with God forever in joy and peace and happiness would be enough. But there are more rewards. Those mentioned to the 7 Churches are but a few. But, by way of review, let's list those which Jesus promised to the 'overcomers' in the 7 Churches.

So, your assignment now, (you knew this was coming, didn't you?), is to list the rewards that Jesus promised to the overcomers in the 7 Churches: (I have given the verses for you so you can find them rapidly)

REWARDS FOR THE OVERCOMERS

Rev 2:7

Rev 2:11

Rev 2:17

Rev 2:26

Rev 3:5

Rev. 3:12

Rev. 3:21

Rev. 21:7

Wow! And this is just the tip of the iceberg of the many many blessings which God gives to those who call upon Him as God and who choose to worship and to Serve Him.

Well, as you can see, we could spend weeks and weeks studying the many truths which are in these messages to the 7 churches, and I wish we had the time to do that. But, unfortunately, we do not have the time. As I said earlier, perhaps in a future study.

But, for now, let's close this section of our study by rereading Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation, the messages to the 7 churches. And, as you read what Jesus said to them, listen to see if He is tugging at your heart in any of these areas and trying to get you to change your ways and to follow Him more obediently! After all, one of the reasons that Jesus gave these messages to the Churches was so they (and we) would know about and be prepared for what is coming!

Spend some time prayerfully reflecting on these messages to the 7 Churches. If you sense that the Lord Jesus Christ is saying something specifically to you, write it down and talk to Him about it. Take as much time as you need.

We will continue our study of Revelation in Lesson 5. See you then.

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