Judgment (Rev. 2:16)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/24/2002

 

My Worship Time                                                                                    Focus:  Judgment

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Revelations 2:16

 

            Message of the verse:  16 Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with the sword of my mouth.  (NLT)   16  ‘Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.  (NAS95)

            As stated in an earlier SD the reference to the sharp two-edged sword was different to that of the sword that is spoken about in Eph. 6, which is part of the Spiritual Armor.  Dr. MacArthur writes that this sword means judgment and Christ is the One who judges His Church as seen in chapters two and three of Revelations.  There are other references of judgment that have come upon the Church, for instance Acts 5 shows the judgment of Ananias and Sapphira for lying and there is judgment upon the Church recorded in 1Cor. 11, where Paul talked about some of the believers who slept because of wrong practices while taking the Lord’s Supper.  It seems to me that these believers at Pergamos were lazy about judging those who had come into their midst and were causing trouble.  If they would have judged those who were doing wrong in their church then the Lord would not have to judge them along with the others who claimed to be believers, who were causing trouble.  You cannot compromise like Balaam did or you may be judged like Balaam was judged.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The fact that Jesus Christ is judging His Church gives me incentive to follow His teaching and not to compromise.

 

The Word of God has brought both a challenge and conviction to my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not upon my own understanding, in all of my ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct my ways.

           

Do Not Compromise (Rev. 2:14)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/22/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Do Not Compromise

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelations 2:14

 

            Message of the verse:  14  Yet I have a few things against you—some of your number cling to the teaching of Balaam, the man who taught Balak how to entice the children of Israel into eating meat sacrificed to idols and into sexual immorality.  (Philips)  14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality.  (NIV)

            In his book “Be Victorious” Dr. Warren Wiersbe points out some interesting meanings to some names and this helps to explain what this verse is saying.  He writes that the people who have infiltrated the church at Pergamos were called “Nicolaitans,” and this name means, “to rule the people,” which is what they were trying to do in this church.  The Hebrew meaning for “Balaam” means “lord of the people,” and these are similar meanings to these two names.  The story of Balaam is in Numbers 22-25 and it is a sad story indeed, for Balaam was a true prophet of the Lord, but he fell in love with money and thus compromised his beliefs because of that.  Balak hires Balaam to curse Israel, because he was frightened of them, but God would not allow Balaam to curse the Israelites so he figured another way to get at Israel.  What he did was to get the people of Israel to become friends with Moab, and they began to eat foods that were sacrificed to idols, and to also cause the men of Israel to play the harlot with the women of Moab.  James writes about something similar, “Jas 4:4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God.”  The sin that Israel committed was the same sin that the church Pergamos committed, and that was separation from the Lord, and compromising their beliefs.  Scofield has this to say about this verse, “The doctrine of Balaam (CF) See Scofield "2Pe 2:15" See Scofield "Jude 1:11" was his teaching Balak to corrupt the people who could not be cursed. #Nu 31:15,16 22:5 23:8 by tempting them to marry women of Moab, defile their separation, and abandon their pilgrim character.  It is that union with the world and the church which is spiritual unchastity. #Jas 4:4. Pergamos had lost the pilgrim character and was "dwelling" #Re 2:13 "where Satan’s throne is," in the world. #Joh 12:31 14:30 16:11.”

            It is interesting to see that it probably did not take a lot of people to get this church to fall into this sin, yet the problem was that they compromised and did not stand up and get rid of these people who were causing this trouble like they should of.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today: This verse teaches me that I should not compromise my faith for anything, and not be like Balaam did nor these people of this church who compromised their faith for profit.

 

The Word of God was both convicting and challenging to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To make sure that I live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, and not a compromising type of lifestyle.    

Christ Knows our Names (Rev. 2:13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/21/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Christ knows our names

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 2:13

 

            Message of the verse:  13  ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.  (NAS95)  13 “I know that you live in the city where that great throne of Satan is located, and yet you have remained loyal to me. And you refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you by Satan’s followers.  (NLT)

            As stated in the SD for verse 12, these believers lived where there were two pagan temples, and thus the phrase “where Satan’s throne is.”  The symbol of the Roman proconsul was a sword, and Christ identified Himself by the One who had the two-edged sword in His mouth, and thus these believers knew by this that they should fear the Lord and not the Romans.

            These believers stayed true to the Lord even when facing the death of a brother in Christ, Antipas, who died for the cause of Christ.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I take from this verse that Jesus Christ knows my name, just as He mentioned Antipas’ name in this verse.  Jesus Christ not only knows my name but He knows all about me and the things that I need to better serve Him, and He will show that to me just as He has shown it to those in the letters to the seven churches.

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  It is good to think about the fact that the Lord knows not only my name, but He knows all about me and thus I can trust Him to do what is the best for me at all times. 

The Compromising Church (Rev. 2:12)

SPIRITUAL DAIRY FOR 02/20/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus: The Compromising Church

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelation 2:12

 

            Message of the verse:  12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this:  (NAS95) 12 ¶ “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum. This is the message from the one who has a sharp two-edged sword:  (NLT)

            The description of Jesus Christ comes from Rev. 1:16 “In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.”  This sharp two-edged sword is different than the one described in Ephesians 6, where the spiritual armor is described, as this one is a very large sword and the one in Ephesians 6 is a small knife like weapon. As written from the SD on Rev. 1:16 this still seems to be speaking of the Word of God, for the Word of God is “living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” 

            The city of Pergamum was the first city to build a temple for the worship of the Roman Emperors, and the city also had a temple dedicated to Aesculapius, who was the god of healing, and its insignia was the entwined serpent of the staff, which is still a medical symbol today.

            A good description for this church would be a compromising church, and this will come up in the verses that follow.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It seems to me that in the description of Christ given in the first chapter of Rev. that He uses the different parts to judge these churches as they need judging, and so this also means that Jesus Christ is judging His Church even today, and in some ways that is scary, and in some ways that brings comfort to me.

 

The Word of God was a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning, and it was also brought about conviction too.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord with all of the storms that He has seen fit to send us into.

Overcomers will live Forever (Rev. 2:11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/19/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Overcomers will live forever

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Revelations 2:11

 

            Message of the verse:  11 He who has ears, let him give ear to what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not come under the power of the second death.  (BBE)  11 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’  (NAS95)

            Jesus makes this statement at the end of all of these letters to the seven churches and it seems that He is talking about spiritual ears, for it takes spiritual ears to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches.  A believer must have spiritual eyes and spiritual ears to understand what it is that Christ is saying to him.  The word “overcomer” refers to believers as was discussed in verse seven of chapter two.  The promise that Jesus is giving to those who are overcomers is that the second death, which is the death that sends people into hell, will not have any power over them.  This was a wonderful promise to this church from the Lord for He had just told them that some of them would be asked to die for the cause of Christ, but this death would bring them into His presence, unlike the second death which would separate them from Christ.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The message that I can take away from this verse is that Christ will give me the things that He knows that I need to live for Him.  Just as He gave this comforting message to this Church, He will give me the message that I need to hear at the time I need to hear it.

 

The Word of God was very refreshing to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust in the Lord with all of my heart and not to lean upon my own understanding and in all of my ways I should acknowledge Him and then He will direct my path.

Having Big Faith (Rev. 2:10)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/18/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Big Faith

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Revelation 2:10

 

            Message of the verse:  10 ‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be tested, and you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.  (NAS95)  10 Have no fear of what you will suffer. I tell you now that the devil is going to cast some of your number into prison where your faith will be tested and your distress will last for ten days. Be faithful in the face of death and I will give you the crown of life. (Philips)

            Jesus tells these believers not to fear even though some of them were going to die for their faith in Him.  Having courage does not mean the absence of fear, but having the assurance that Jesus Christ is totally in control of all things.  It is not certain as to what is meant by the “ten days,” so there is not much use trying to interpret it.  It is interesting to realize that Jesus said that the Devil was about to put some of these believer into prison, and this is a reminder that the Devil does have power, but he can only do what the Lord allows him to do.  The Devil asked to swift Peter like wheat after Jesus was crucified, so he must get permission from the Lord before he does things. 

            Jesus goes on to say that they are to remain faithful until death and He would give them a crown of life.  Those that die for the cause of Christ will receive the crown of life, and I believe that same crown will be given to those who do not fall into temptations, but trust the Lord to see them through them. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think that a person has to have eyes of faith to undergo what these and countless other people have gone through by giving up their life for the cause of Christ.  Jim Elliot put it into perspective when he said “why give up what you cannot keep to keep what you cannot loose.”  These believers had the kind of faith to have someone say wonderful things about, and Jesus Christ did exactly.

 

The Word of God was both challenging and refreshing to my heart as I read it today.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To learn to see the Lord Jesus Christ as these believers from Smyrna had.

 

           

True Riches (Rev. 2:9)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/17/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Spiritual Richness

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 2:9

 

            Message of the verse:  9 “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! I know the slander of those opposing you. They say they are Jews, but they really aren’t because theirs is a synagogue of Satan.  (NLT)  9 ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.  (NAS95)

            Christianity was very young at the time this letter was written and the Roman Empire did not recognize it like they did the Jewish Religion, so when people began to get saved they could be under persecution form both the Romans and also the Jews, who did not accept the truth of the Christian faith.  These believers could not get any jobs, because they were believers, and therefore they were poor in material things, but they were living for eternal values and therefore Christ calls them rich, rich in important things that will not fade away, there treasure was in heaven.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  There is an idea going around that if a person is a believer that God will make him materially rich, and if he is not then there is something wrong with his faith.  This passage along with others shows that this is certainly no the case.  Even though Sandy and I have gone through some problems in the financial area the Lord has blessed us with Spiritual blessings that will never rust or fade away, and therefore we too are rich.

 

The Word of God was challenging refreshment to my heart as I studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord through these times when our financial future is uncertain.  Trust and obey for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus is to trust and obey.   

Smyrna the Obedient Church (Rev. 2:8)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/16/2005

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Smyrna the obedient church

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelations 2:8

 

            Message of the verse:  8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this:  (NAS95) 8  “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Smyrna. This is the message from the one who is the First and the Last, who died and is alive:  (NLT)

            The introduction to this letter was taken out of Revelations 1:17 & 18: When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

            As stated in an earlier SD the description of Christ is taken from what was said to describe Him in the first chapter of Revelations. The church at Smyrna was being persecuted and thus the description of Christ as the One who is the first and the last and the One who was dead, but is now alive.  This would have great meaning for these persecuted believers who could take comfort that Christ was in control of their lives and even if they had to give up their lives for the cause of Christ they too, would be alive again, as Christ was. 

            Unlike Ephesus, Smyrna is still around today, and it is now called Izmir.  Jesus had told those in Ephesus that they would loose their lampstand if they did not repent, and history seems to tell us that they did not.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Dr. Wiersbe writes that no matter what a believer is going through the Lord Jesus Christ can identify with him, and that is what I take away for the lesson from this verse today.

 

The Word of God has been refreshment for my soul as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I want to latch onto this truth that Christ can identify with all of the problems that I am going through at this time in my life.

 

               

Admonition (Rev. 2:7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/15/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Admonition

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Revelations 2:7

 

            Message of the verse:  7 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.’  (NAS95) 

            Christ gives this message to each of the seven churches that He writes to, “He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  He wants those who read this or hear this message to be able to have their spiritual ears opened so that they can hear and obey what is written to them.

            John has used this word “overcomes” before to describe true believers in Jesus Christ, “5 Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”  (1John 5:5)  Those who are the true believers in Jesus Christ will be granted the privilege to eat from the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.  Man was one time kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and forbidden to ear from the tree of life, and now things will be changed so that all true believers in Jesus Christ will eat from the tree of life.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The word overcomes means “of Christians, that hold fast their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, and temptations and persecutions.”  I want to be an overcomer over the temptations that come my way each day, and it may mean even to overcome when persecuted at some time in the future.

 

The Word of God again presented a challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord during these times of trouble and heartache that I am going through at this time.

Approval (Rev. 2:6)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/14/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Approval

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 2:6

 

            Message of the verse:  6 ‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.  (NAS95)  6 Yet you have this to your credit, that you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I myself detest. (Philips)

            Jesus commended these believers for their hatred towards the deeds of those who were called Nicolaitans, who took advantage of “Christian Liberties.”  Paul has written much about the liberties that believers have and on one occasion he has written, “may it never be” to a question that was written concerning taking advantage of Christian Liberties. 

            The people of this group thought it okay to eat meat that had been offered to idols and they also had committed adultery and said that was okay too.  There were people who believed that the things that were done in the flesh were okay because they were misguided people trying to take advantage of true Christian Liberties.  At any rate what they did was sinful and the Lord hated it and commended those believers at Ephesus for hating it also.  A true believer in Jesus Christ should hate what He hates, and He will always hate sin. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I too am to hate sin, but to have a “Christian love” for those who practice sin and it is easier with some than with others.  The Lord Jesus Christ has grace and mercy to me each and every day of my life, and without that I could not stand before Him, so in turn I too, am to have grace and mercy to others, especially believers.

 

The Word of God has again been a challenge to my heart as I have read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord that He is in control of all things that are going on in my life including what is going on with Kim and her pregnancy that has big problems, with my job, with our investments, and with all that Sandy is going through as we live here in Aruba, especially what to do with the dog.    

Remember, Repent, and Repeat (Rev. 2:5)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/13/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Remember, Repent, & Repeat

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  Revelations 2:5

 

            Message of the verses:  5 ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.  (NAS95)  5 Look how far you have fallen from your first love! Turn back to me again and work as you did at first. If you don’t, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.  (NLT) 

            In this verse Jesus Christ gives the solution to the wrong that these members of this church doing, and that is forgetting their love for the Lord.  He gives three commands to them to follow.  The first is to remember from where they had fallen, and the word remember is in the present tense, so they are to continue to remember from where they had fallen.  I believe that part of the problem that had caused these members to forget their first love was because of false teachers who had come into their midst.  Paul had warned them about this, as recorded in the book of Acts, when he had left them for the last time.

            The next thing Jesus told them was that they were to repent, which means that they were to agree with Him of the wrong that they were doing.  A person who becomes a believer has to see himself as God sees hem and agree with God that is the way they are in order to become a believer.  Once a person becomes a believer he needs to repent of his sin to the Lord, he must repent of his sin.  Jesus illustrated this point when he washed His disciple’s feet at the last supper.  The illustration was that all believers are clean, yet when they walk around in the world they can get their feet dirty, or they will sin and be in need or restoring their fellowship with the Lord.  It seems that the believer’s at Ephesus had not practiced this process and therefore were in need of a foot washing from the Lord.

            The next thing they were to do was to repeat what they had done when they first become believers, and that was to love the Lord with all of their heart mind and soul.  I once heard a teacher of the Word say that he liked to get around new believers so that he could warm his hands their new found fire for the Lord, but as believers continue on in the faith they can grow colder in their love for the Lord and just go through the motions of being a believer, which is what they were doing at Ephesus.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I believe that what David said in the 139^th Psalm, verses 23, & 24 are appropriate here:  “23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;  24  And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”  This is what the Lord was doing for these believers and this is what the Lord can do for me each and every day of my life.  As a believer I need to keep a short list with the Lord so that I don’t fall into the same problem that these believers had fallen into. 

 

The Word of God was convicting to my heart and at the same time presented a challenge to my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To remember, to repent, and to repeat as the Lord leads me.  To ask the Lord to search my heart.

           

Hang on to your First Love (Rev. 2:4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/12/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Hang on to your First Love

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Revelations 2:4

 

            Message of the verse:  4 ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.  (NAS95)  4 But I have this against you, that you are turned away from your first love.  BBE

            Jesus Christ, the One who sees and knows all, has something against this church, and that is because they have left there first love.  This first love that He is talking about is Himself and it is this love for the Lord Jesus Christ that should motivate a believer to do good works for the cause of Christ.  John spoke of this kind of love in his first letter, and he spent a lot of time showing that as a believer grows in his love for the Lord that he will be growing in his Christian maturity.  A person can never do enough good works to be accepted by God, and a believer must do his works for the cause of Christ with the proper motive, and not be doing them in the power of the flesh or it will not count for anything.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This is a verse that I have though about on many occasions and it has spoken to my heart, and at other times it has been somewhat confusing to me because of the two previous verses. 

            In my walk with the Lord I want to grow in grace, knowledge, and especially love for the Lord Jesus Christ, as the Lord has been convicting me in this area of love, and it is difficult for me to do, yet it should not be that difficult because without the love of the Lord to me I would never have anything, and with His love for me I have all that is needed to live upon this earth and to live in eternity.  Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. 

 

The Word of God has brought conviction and challenge to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  That the Lord Jesus Christ will “Have Thine Own Way” with me.

Patience under Fire (Rev. 2:3)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/11/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Patience under fire

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  Rev 2:3

 

            Message of the verse:  3 and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.  (NAS95)  3 I know your powers of endurance—how you have suffered for the sake of my name and have not grown weary.  (Philips) 

            There are some things in this verse that are a mystery because it is hard form me to understand how these believers could suffer for the Lord’s sake, and yet not have Christ as their first love as He says in the next verse.  It has seemed to me that somehow these believers were doing all of their good things just to do them as a duty, yet not through the Holy Spirit’s power.  At any rate these believers were suffering in some way for the cause of Christ and they were holding up under this persecution to the extent that Jesus Christ commends them for it.  The circumstances that they found themselves in did not get them down, but they must have realized that they should be good soldiers of Christ and trust Him, even through persecutions.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I do believe that God is the One who has to give patience to me, or teach me to develop patience through the difficult times that I go through while upon this earth and I must respond to those difficulties in the same way that these believers did.

 

The Word of God has again been a challenge to my heart as I read it and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To continue to trust the Lord as I go through some difficult times, knowing that He is in control, and that He will see me through these times for my good and for His glory.

Christ's Approval (Rev. 2:2)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/10/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus: Approval

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Rev 2:2

 

            Message of the verse:  2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.  (NAS95)  2 “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.  (NLT) 

            In these letter to the seven churches there is a pattern to what is said to them, and part of that pattern is giving a different description of Christ from the first chapter of Revelations, (as mentioned in the verse note of 2:1), and then if there is something good to say about them Christ will do that, and then He will give His marching orders for them to correct their behavior, and ends with a statement about the one who has ears should hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches. 

            In this first letter to the church at Ephesus Christ complements them for their hard work and patience endurance, and that could be concerning the persecution they were going through.  They were a hard working Church, who sacrificed of themselves to do good works, and they held up under pressure, (patience endurance).  They did not tolerate evil people.  They also checked out those who were suppose to be teachers and preachers of the Word to find out if they truly were what they claimed to be and discovered that some were not and dealt with them.  Paul warned them that false teachers would come and try to infiltrate among them.  John wrote a letter about this, (2John).

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This entire letter of Revelations is important, however I believe that these seven letters within this letter show exactly what Christ wants from His Church and His people and it is good to get an idea of what this is.  In this first letter Christ is looking for hard working people who are patience, and who hold up well under fire, and who also are diligent to check out if what people say about themselves is true.

 

The Word of God was again challenging to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  I believe that the Lord is asking me to hold up well under the pressures of what I am going through with this job that He has sent me on, for after all I am working for the Lord.

Christ Walks Among the Churches (Rev. 2:1)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/09/2005

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Christ walks among the churches

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Rev 2:1

 

            Message of the verse: 1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:  (NAS95)   1 "Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lampstands:  (NLT) 

            Jesus Christ is identified from the description that is given of Him in Chapter one.  In the case of the Ephesian Church the description of Christ comes from verses 1:12, 16, & 20 and all of these verses have been gone over as to what some of the meaning of them are.  As stated before one of the best ways to study this letter is to look up the cross-references.  In this verse Christ is saying that He is the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, and they refer to the messengers or angles, or the Pastors of the Church.  It is important to remember who had been the Pastors of this church, and you come up with names like Paul, Timothy, and even John, so it could be that these people had their eyes on the Pastors and off of the Lord.  Jesus goes on to explain that He is walking among the Churches, and this could mean that He is telling us that because He is the Head of the Church He will judge the Churches through this Church age.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  It is easy to miss the meaning of what is in this wonderful letter if all that you think about is the symbolism that is in it.  When this happens you miss many things that Christ wants you to learn.  In this verse I have learned that Jesus Christ is very active among His Church.

 

The Word of God has brought refreshment and conviction to me as I studied it this evening.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Trust the Lord with all of these trying circumstances that I find myself in as it relates to this job I am at.

The Church Gives Light (Rev. 1:20)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/08/2005

 

My Worship Time                                                             Focus:  The Church Gives Light

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Rev 1:20

 

            Message of the verse:  20 “As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.  (NAS95)  20 This is the meaning of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and the seven gold lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.  (NLT)

            Jesus, through the Apostle John, explains what the meaning of the seven stars and the seven golden lampstands are in this verse.  The book of Revelations is full of symbols, and it seems that the best way to study it is to use a good concordance.  There is also significance in numbers and seven is the number for perfection in the Scriptures. 

            Jesus says that the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the word means messengers, which is the word that is used for angels many times in the Bible.  Some think it refers to the Pastors or Ministers, but it certainly could mean that God has appointed an angel over each of His Churches.  As for the seven golden lampstands, they refer to the Churches themselves.  Lampstands were used in the Tabernacle of the OT, and lampstands are to produce light, which is what the Church is supposed to do.  In one of the letters to one of the churches Jesus refers to these lampstands, and said that if things did not improve He would remove the lampstand from their midst.  Jesus Christ said the He was the Light of the world, and the Church represents Him on earth, so the Church is suppose to give the light of the Gospel and the light of the truth that is in the Scriptures here on the earth.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The Church is people to whom God has granted salvation too, and as one of them, I too am suppose to give light to those around me.

 

The Word of God has put forth a challenge to me as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  One of the problems that I am facing at work is how to get along with John, who has a very big head.  I would pray that the Lord would give me the wisdom to put up with all of the things that come out of his mouth.

             

God's Inspired Outline of Revelation (Rev. 1:19)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/07/2005

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  God’s Inspired Outline of Revelations

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Rev 1:19

 

            Message of the verse:  19 "Therefore write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after these things.  (NAS95)  19 Write down what you have seen—both the things that are now happening and the things that will happen later.  (NLT)

            Jesus Christ now tells John to write down the things which he had just seen, and most commentators believe that Jesus is referring to the things which John saw in this first chapter, which is the glorified Christ, however one of the commentators points out that He could be referring to the things that John wrote in the Gospel that he wrote too.  The verse goes on to say that John is to write the things which are, and this refers to the things that are in chapter two and three, the messages to the seven churches to whom this letter is recorded for.  The last part of the verse refers to the things that will take place after these things, and this includes the rest of the letter from chapters four through twenty-two. 

            This is a wonderful letter to seven real churches in the first century, and these seven churches were going through and reacting to what they were going through in various ways to which Christ addresses.  I would suppose that all churches throughout the church age can look at this letter and begin to understand the things that they are to do and the things which they are not to do.  They can also understand the blessings they will receive if they do the right things and the consequences if they do not do them.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Warren Wiersbe wrote in his commentary to this wonderful letter that “When you have assurance for the future, you have stability in the present,” and I believe that is one of the things that this letter has to teach me. 

 

The Word of God was refreshing to my heart as I studied it this morning, and it also put forth a challenge to my heart.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To remember that Jesus Christ has shown in this letter what will take place in the future, and therefore I can have stability in my present life because of this truth.

Jesus Christ has Risen from the Dead (Rev. 1:18)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 02/06/2005

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  Jesus Christ has risen from the dead

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Rev 1:18

 

            Message of the verse:  18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.  (NIV)  18 I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.  (NLT)

            Verse 18 continues where verse 17 left off, as Jesus Christ is still speaking to John and comforting him with the words He is telling John.  I want to touch a little bit more on why John is lying on the ground after seeing Jesus in His glorified state.  In 2Cor. 5:16 Paul writes about Jesus not being the same as He was when He walked upon the earth:  “16.  This means that our knowledge of men can no longer be based on their outward lives (indeed, even though we knew Christ as a man we do not know him like that any longer).”

There is also a portion of Scripture that gives this illustration of three of Jesus’ disciples seeing Jesus in His glorified state even while He was upon the earth:  “2  And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.  5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"  6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.  7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, ‘Get up, and do not be afraid.’” 

Jesus goes on with His description here when He says that He is the living One even though He was once dead and that He has the keys of death and Hades, or He has the authority over death and the place where the dead are, that is where the wicked who have died no abide.  This concludes the description of Jesus Christ, and this is similar to others given of Him, like in Matthew and also Daniel, and from this description it can be learned that Jesus Christ is indeed who He says that He is, and that is God, and that as believers realize this more and more they can fall down and worship Him in the way He deserves.

 

            The word of God was again challenging to my heart as I read it and studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Prepare my heart to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church, as I go to our Church service this morning.