Automatic Transcript Generated:
Speaker 2
Alright.
Speaker 3
So the number two most viewed question was what were the characteristics of the Church of Philadelphia? Maybe we should talk a little bit about the different churches when we answer that one multiple mentioned. Right. And maybe we should touch lightly on each one of those and then highlight that one.
Speaker 1
So starting in Revelation Two covers seven letters of Christ to seven different churches. And these were seven real churches. They formed a circuit in, I believe, what is today, Turkey and sort of that Middle East area. And they all own Middle East Europe around that area. And they were all part of this male circuit. So they were all sort of in communication with each other and you go in the loop. And these were also some of the early churches, some of them that were founded by the Apostle Paul, for example. So these were Gentile churches, not Jerusalem, not Jewish people. These were largely in Gentile areas. This was the core of early Christianity. And each Church had a different message. And as you start looking at these churches, oh great, we got a Church map. As you start looking at these churches, you might start realizing that maybe they tracked the experience of those local churches as they happened back in time, but they also applied to different eras of Christianity. So Revelation Two, one talks about these people who had really great Church. They had those act together, but God’s warning them, don’t forget your first love, your early passion as a Christian, or else your candlestick will be removed from you and given to someone else.
Speaker 1
It really describes well, the early Christian Church during the time of the New Testament that we’re reading of Acts, and shortly, probably after that. So around the first hundred years of Christianity, well, actually maybe a little bit earlier because you get to the next Church Smyrna and it’s talking about now tribulation, suffering, death, people dying, persecution. So now we’re entering the second era of Christianity where now they’re really experiencing heavy, heavy persecution. We know the Roman Empire is killing Christians brutally in the Colosseum. They are being torn up by Lions or whatever. It’s awful. But Christianity is now spreading because you weren’t going to be a Christian unless you’re really serious. And these people were on fire for Jesus and everybody saw it, saw that these people had something supernatural with them. So they’re going on fire. They’re doing great. Christianity, though dying is thriving. We get to the next era of Christianity, which is symbolized by Pergamum, the third Church. And that letter to the angel talks about how they have God says, for example, you hold true to the doctrine of the Nicoletans and you have some problematic theology coming in. You have the doctrine of Babylon and Balem.
Speaker 1
Was this false Prophet in the Old Testament? Not good things to say about him, but his doctrine is making it to the Church. So Satan is now realizing persecution isn’t working. He needs to change his game. So he’s trying corruption, he’s trying deceptions that are weaseling their way into the Christian Church and corrupting it. And Paul talks about that Jesus can’t come until there’s this big falling away, this apostasy that has to happen. So now we’re seeing the beginnings of this great apostasy coming into place with the third era of Christianity. Then we come to Siatira, and now it’s just all out bad. They basically says, I have a few things against you because you put up with a woman, Jezebel. Now, she was about one of the most evil people, not even just women, evil people in all of the Old Testament, absolutely wicked, corrupted, Able, who was really wicked, but it made him even worse. And so we just see now just evil is now completely entrenching the Church. We go on now to Revelation three, and we come to Church of Sardis. And basically Jesus says, I know you’re dead, but just hold on to what you have and you’re not perfect, but I know you’re doing the best under these circumstances.
Speaker 1
So be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that you are ready to die. And so this describes well, that the early period of the Reformation. These reformers start coming out. They’re rediscovering the truth that had been lost, but now they’re under threat of persecution. They are dying again, just like we have persecution in the early Church. Now it’s coming back in the time of the Reformation. But now we come to Philadelphia, which means the City of Brotherly Love is what he was known for. So now we reaching probably like a golden era of Christianity that I would say start around the 18 hundreds. We have the Bible Society starting Bibles are now being printed left and right. The word is reaching people. We have the great what’s the term for it? Awakening. I think it was called the Great Awakening, where religion, Christianity is making a huge comeback in US and Europe. And this again is now sort of this golden era again of Christianity. It’s making a comeback. Real good things are said about it, but Jesus now starts and maybe. Natalie, you’ll like to talk about this part now. What is the significance when it’s talking about how well each Church opens up with a little description of Jesus.
Speaker 1
And in this Church, it says these things, saith he that is Holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that opens and no man can shut and shuts and no man can open. And I think that’s an important aspect of this period and ties into an earlier thing we talked about. So, Natalie, would you like to cover that?
Speaker 2
Okay. I thought you were on a roll, but. Okay. So that faithful Church, as you were describing Philadelphia, it’s an encouraging time for the Church. Like you were talking for those of us just joining in there are different views of the seven churches described in Revelation, the first part of Revelation. And some people take it literally and figuratively or dual application. Some people think these were letters that were actually written by John to all the different churches because the Revelation was sent to these seven churches. And Jay was elaborating on how it actually represents the characteristics of the Christian Church throughout time and that each city Church represents a period of time that the world Church went through, not just geographically, but throughout time, from the time the Church began at the time of the Apostles until the end of time. So Philadelphia, like you mentioned, it being in the 1800s, that is when we have the United States becoming in the United States plays a big part in Bible prophecy, the land of the free, freedom of religion, freedom of thought, freedom of expression. And it’s no wonder that the Church of Christ would thrive during this time.
Speaker 2
And he will keep us through the hour of trial. And he says, I’m coming quickly. That verse in Revelation, I think chapter three, are we on?
Speaker 1
Yes, eleven, verse eleven.
Speaker 2
Behold, I come quickly. Hold fast what you have that no. 1 may take your Crown. When did we hear the behold, I come quickly in Church history. When did we really hear behold, I come quickly. You’re like, am I really going to go there?
Speaker 1
I’m blanking out right now.
Speaker 2
But I know I’m going to be like face planting the great disappointment when everybody was saying Christ is coming quickly, Christ is coming in 1844. I think that the Church was thriving during that time. And behold, I’m sorry.
Speaker 1
I thought your question about a time in the Bible where that was said.
Speaker 2
Yeah, I thought we were talking about throughout history. Anyway, so that’s just a thought I’m throwing out there. It might be too, for some of the viewers.
Speaker 1
But actually that’s a good point because let me go back to Sardis, because I think in the Church just before. Okay. So in Revelation, three, three cards saying, I will come as a thief and you will not now know the hour, I will come. So he’s saying, I’m going to be coming. He starts off with that Church saying, I’m coming, Philadelphia. He says, I’m coming quickly. And then we get to the final Church, the last Church laid to see. So there’s actually one more Church after Philadelphia. And for that one, he says, I stand at the door and knock, and if anyone hears me, I will open the door and I will come into you. So he’s getting closer, closer, closer. And so, yeah, if you looked at it carefully, the Church of Philadelphia thought Christ was coming to them. They were disappointed, but really they’re close to Jesus coming. But there’s one last Church that really will be the one to come when Jesus comes.
Speaker 3
So which one are we in now?
Speaker 2
Yeah. So we’re in the Laodicean Church right now where we got up and then we kind of cooled down, and God says, I know you’re neither hot nor cold. You’re Lukewarm. And I wish you were either hot or cold. But being in this Lukewarm state is dangerous. And Christ warns his Church of the last days, don’t be in a lukewarm state because he says in Revelation three, verse 16 of the Laodicean era, I’m going to say so then because you are Lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. That’s quite graphic description there. But he’s telling us, if you’re for me, be for me. If you’re not for me, be not for me. But to be in this Gray area is deceitful, not just to yourself, but to those who you are preaching to. So we’ve kind of there are many people who are like, you know, the Church is in this blah phase right now where we’re preaching, but we don’t really live up to what we preach. And oftentimes the only way you can sift the cold from the hot, so to speak, is through persecution. And that’s what the rest of Revelation starts to talk about.
Speaker 2
There’s going to be a persecution. And the people who in this Lukewarm Church who are all United together, some of us are cold, some of us are hot, and we’re all Lukewarm in persecution. The cold are going to go this way and the hot are going to go this way. And let’s hope that we’re in the hot.
Speaker 1
What’s interesting related to that is Revelation 310 going back to the Church of Philadelphia says, Because you have kept the word of my patience, because you guys were a good Church, I also will keep you from the hour of temptation, which will come upon the entire world to try them that dwell upon the Earth. So sort of what Natalie was just talking about, the very last Church, Laodicea, is going to go through a significant time of temptation that will weed out the wheat from the chaff, that will separate God’s people from Satan’s people. And this all ties into what we’re talking about earlier about those three frogs who are going to go out into the whole world and are going to deceive everybody. Those frogs. We didn’t talk about the context of Revelation 16, but that was part of the last plagues, and that was part of the six of the seven plagues where these frogs now go out and tempt everybody. We’re talking about near the end of the end, just before Christ comes, that the temptation, this time of massive deception is going to be the ultimate test between people.
Speaker 3
So I have a question about this because it’s like, okay, the Church of Philadelphia, because of their patience and the era in which they were here, they got to protect them from this right from what’s to come. But if we’re now in the Church of Laodicea, it feels a little uncomfortable to me. This doesn’t really feel like a loving God to me. What part that if we’re a Lukewarm, he’s going to sound like a moment that doesn’t sound like a very loving God. And it feels a little bit wrong that I didn’t get to choose the era in which I’m born. I didn’t get to choose to be born and live during the time of Laodicea versus Philadelphia. So if I’m struggling with this, how can I understand this as far as God’s love and as far as getting through this time period?
Speaker 2
I’ll take a whack at it. And then, Jay, you can add, it’s kind of like communication, like, you guys are married for. I think you guys got married a year before I did. And I’ve been married for like five years, and I have learned communication is key. I can get mad at my husband. He doesn’t know. Just become mad and take a step back and I communicate this. This makes me mad or makes me angry. If you continue to be this way, I’m going to spew you out of my mouth like vomit. If you continue to be this way and I think no matter how much of someone, sometimes your words aren’t carefully chosen and we’re human. But I think here Jesus is communicating to us, and he’s like, if you continue to be in the state that you are in, neither hot nor cold, I’m going to have no choice than to do this because you’re not expressing love and you’re not expressing hate. You’re in this weird funk where I can’t identify you as either. And I think he’s calling us to go back to the spirit of the era of the Church in Philadelphia.
Speaker 2
My husband just peeked in and he’s, like, smiling. I think Christ is calling us to go back to the spirit of the Philadelphian Church. And we’re warm, we’re on fire. We’re excited for Christ coming again. I have met people. I have talked to a girl, and I was like, Jesus is coming soon and the prophecies are being fulfilled. And I’ve just learned XYZ. And she said, no, I don’t want to come before I get married. Believe it or not, there are some people in the Church who want to find happiness in this Earth, who want to live out their life in this Earth. And Christ is saying, hey, you’re in a mellow stage right now. You’re happy where you’re in. You’re supposed to be on fire for me. You’re supposed to be on fire for what’s to come. You’re supposed to be on fire for the commencement of the great controversy. I would that you would be hot, not cold or Lukewarm. And I think he’s using the strong language to wake us up. And it’s a warning. There’s strong language that the prophets used in the Old Testament. Isaiah uses the most descriptive and emotional strong language.
Speaker 2
And I think Jesus understands our minds. And he’s like, wake up. Because like you said, that reaction I get when I hear that makes you take back, doesn’t it? And I guess it completed its purpose. It makes you take a step back and say, well, what can I do? So that you don’t speak to me that way. And we know for a fact that God loves us more than anything because he died for us. What more love can he show us? So having that in the back of our mind helps us kind of accept such language and be like, well, what am I doing? Does that kind of touch on.
Speaker 3
Yeah, I think it does.
Speaker 1
And actually, that word to spew, the Greek word actually could be better translated to vomit. So it’s almost like an involuntary action. And because historically, if you go to Laodicea, their water system there comes from them a hot spring that has a lot of minerals in it, and it starts off very hot. And then by the time it gets to the city, it’s lukewarm and it tastes really bad, unless it’s really hot or really cold water at. Lukewarm just tastes atrocious. And so imagine drinking this terrible water, and he just spit it out. And that’s kind of the visual reaction guy gets if we’re just lukewarm or we’re cold.
Speaker 3
I just had the epiphany go up in my head when you were saying that about how in many ways that does sort of describe the climate today. Like, you think of all of the people who, I don’t know, I might get myself into trouble here saying this, but you think about all the people who claim to be Christians, but don’t even try to have the spirit of Christ, who don’t even try to grow in Christ’s likeness or in any way connect with the character of Christ. Is that what it is to be Lukewarm to say, like, oh, here I am, oh, yeah, I believe in Jesus. So I’m saved, but I don’t really believe because I’m not doing anything in my life consistent with that belief.
Speaker 1
Like Matthew seven, verse 22, maybe we could get up on the screen. So Jesus, this is what Jesus is saying. He says, many will say to me in that day, the day of his coming day of judgment. Lord, Lord, Lord, Jesus. Lord, Lord. You’re a God, right? Have we not prophesied in your name and in your name cast out Devils and in your name done many wonderful works? And what does Jesus say? Verse 23 says, and then I will declare unto these people, I never knew, you depart from me, get away from me. I’m spewing you out. You who practice lawlessness. So, yeah, Jesus is warning, and there’s many other warnings like that. There’s so many people who think they’re Christians, they’re using the name of God. They’re doing these things in God’s name, as Christians, as Christians and completely don’t know Christ completely. Are so far from how God really wants us to be. And that’s almost worse than saying or maybe I would say that is worse than saying I don’t believe in a God.
Speaker 3
And that’s what it seems to be saying there to the Church of legacy. I mean, that’s what he seems to be saying. Is it’s worth to be claiming yourself as this but not really caring about being this?
Speaker 1
And I don’t even know if it’s caring. These could be people who are so absolutely deceived about what it really means to know God, to be in his image, to bear his name. And that’s what Matthew 7:22 saying. These people are so utterly convinced they were doing what God wanted, what Christ expected, and yet they totally missed the Mark.
Speaker 2
Yeah. And someone just asked specifically about adventures Church or Christian churches in general to tie it in with what Jay is saying real quick. Adventists believe that they are the remnant Church. And a lot of Adventists do identify the time period because the adventure Church is new. When it came into existence during the time of Philadelphia, after the great disappointment, when Christ was coming, behold, I come. And we’re like 1844, he’s coming, he’s coming. And he didn’t come. And there were very few remnants who were like, okay, we know this time period in 1844 describes the cleansing of the sanctuary. And we thought the cleansing of the sanctuary means cleansing of the Earth by fire. So instead of reversing the time period because we’re sure of the time period, let’s look it up. And they studied the Bible more and they found that the cleansing of the sanctuary is a sanctuary up in heaven. And that’s kind of how the Adventist Church was. And that’s why the following time period, a lot of people identify Adventists identify themselves with the Laodicean Church from following a time period.
Speaker 1
And we’re definitely as messed up as the Laodicean Church.
Speaker 2
Indeed, we have unfortunate terms within the Adventist Church where we describe some as Liberal and some conservative. And depending on which party you fall, you’re obviously going to call the opposite party cold and view yourself as hot. We’re not saved in a Church. We are saved individually. God will work through his Church at the end of time, which transcends Adventism.
Speaker 1
What, which transcends even the Adventist Church.
Speaker 2
Exactly. And so whether you’re in the Adventist Church, whether you’re in the Baptist Church, I am in the Adventist Church. So I identify with the Lukewarm Church right now. I don’t think we’re spreading the three Angels message like we should. So I’m trying to do my best as an individual to do that. I try to work within my Church to do that. I think the more of us within whatever Church we’re in who decide to become hot, maybe we can heat up everybody else around us and we’re supposed to be particularly in tune with this message of being Lukewarm. This is the message for the Church right before Christ comes. This is the message for us individually right before Christ comes. And so, like Wendy was mentioning, there are some people who think themselves Christians, but they have nothing to do with Christ. You look at their life and they have nothing to do with Christ. And Jay brought the perfect verse where people preaching in the name of God, preaching in the name of making miracles in the name of Jesus. And Jesus comes back and says, I don’t know you. Yeah, you used my name.
Speaker 2
Yeah, you did many works, but I don’t know you. So it makes us take a step back and say, Do I know Christ? Is someone looking at me? Can they see Christ? And so there’s a fine line here between being judgmental of others versus being judgmental of oneself. We individually are supposed to look to Christ and compare ourselves to Christ. Am I doing what I can do to be more like Christ? Am I being hot or cold? Am I contributing to the Luke warmness of the Church I’m in? And there is a concept of the Church, but we often forget that we comprise the Church. And so if we individually look at our life and stay focused on Christ and look to him and try to take his character will be hot no matter what. And I think that’s what Christ is telling us. He’s like. And I really like that comment that you made, Jay about the Church and Lace actually having that spring and that the vomit Christ. It’s amazing to look at the history and go back how perfect the Bible is.
Speaker 1
One we only Nick the surface on that so deep.
Speaker 2
Go ahead.
Speaker 3
I was going to say, I know we’re kind of going long on this question, but I feel like this is an important topic, but I wanted to just ask one more piece on it, which is why would God want us to be cold? How does he respond to or how he says, I would rather you be cold than Lukewarm? I can understand him wanting us all hot, but why would he want us to be cold?
Speaker 2
How does he change on that? If you’re cold, it’s obvious, right? He’s basically telling us, either you’re black or you’re white. If you’re Gray, where do you stand for those who are white? Okay, he’s white for those who are black. Okay, they’re black. Maybe I should use different colors just for anything. But when you’re neither on the left or you’re neither on the right, pick aside already. That way people looking at you will know where you are. That way I will know where you are. Of course, God knows our heart. But Christ is basically saying, don’t be in the Gray area. Pick aside already. That’s what I think. I don’t know if Jay has something.
Speaker 3
There’s a verse that came to mind, too, about how God treats those who are insane. There’s a couple of verses around that about how if we are falling away, he essentially kind of puts greater love on us to draw us back.
Speaker 1
Grace abounds.
Speaker 3
Grace abounds. And there’s another one there’s that story, your sins. Maybe there’s one about your sins. Maybe.
Speaker 1
Isaiah one.
Speaker 3
Yeah. Do you want to maybe bring those up? Yeah, that’s it. Come now and let us reason together. Since the Lord, though your sins are like Scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red, like Crimson, they shall be as wool. So God is really trying to I think if we are cold, like you said, Grace abounds, he pours more onto more good onto us so that we can see him through all of the cloud of sin so he can reach us. Whereas if we’re liquor, there’s not as much he can do there with us.
Speaker 1
Yes, I could go on and on on that topic. Secret is love. God let that love burning your heart. Study how God loves you. And because he first loved us, we can love him and then we can love others. That’s the secret. I would say that’s the secret sauce in a nutshell. It’s all about love. And I’m not using cheap love. This is love that’s beyond our comprehension. That’s going to take us trillions of years to wrap our head around. This is God is love. His law is love. We’re supposed to be in his image. We’re supposed to be love.
Speaker 3
This is love that has to rise above the wrongs that are done to us. It has to rise above even what our enemies do to us, and that can’t come from us. Have you ever tried to love someone who really deeply hurt you and maybe repeatedly, you can’t find that in yourself that has to come from God to be able to love them as a broken human that he still loves.
Speaker 2
And I would say only a hot person can do that.
Speaker 1
Yeah. And in second, Thessalonians tongue twister, huh? Second, Thessalonians two, verse ten, so many teas. Well, actually, if you start verse nine, it says it talk about the coming of the lawless, one who will be in accordance with how Satan works. And he will use all sorts of displays of powers through signs and wonders that serve this great lie he’s trying to spread. I mean, this is talking about what we’ve been talking about, this huge time of temptation, so much deception going on. And then on verse ten, it says, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Maybe to wrap up everything we’ve been talking about today, why are people going to perish? Why are people going to die? Why are people going to choose death over life? Because they have not the love of truth. They’re loving something else. There’s some other reality, there’s some sort of lie that they would rather believe than rather love objective truth. And this truth actually also is not inanimate because Jesus says I am the way the truth and the life.
Speaker 1
God is truth too. He embodies it just like he embodies love. And so if you reject truth and you want to go into whatever other reality you are, you’re choosing basically to be under a powerful delusion and God is not going to just hold you back and force you to come to him. He’s he’s going to let you go the way you want to go. He will sadly, you know, almost like a dog. He’ll let go of the leash and let you run to where you want to go and you will have to suffer the consequences of that.
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READ MORE: According to the Bible, are frogs considered to be evil?
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