(Revelation) Revelation 2:20-3:22 — Zac Poonen

The Threefold Structure of Revelation and the Seven Churches

Now we continue our study in the book of Revelation and if you remember in our last study we were considering chapter 2 and we saw that chapter 2 and 3 come under the heading of the things which are. The threefold division of the book of Revelation in chapter 1 verse 19, the things which you have seen which is the vision of the risen Christ, and the things which are which relates to the churches in chapter 2 and chapter 3, and the things which take place after these things which begin in chapter 4.

And there are messages to seven churches here and we considered um four of them in these two chapters. We just want to look at a few verses in the closing part of chapter 2 which we didn't have time to complete in our last study.

Thyatira and the Danger of Spiritual Immorality

That was to the church in Theathera. We saw that to the first church in Ephesus the message was you have left your first love. The second church was the church in Smyrna chapter 2 verse 8 where there was no rebuke, they were faithful in suffering.

The third church is chapter 2 verse 12 the church in Pergamum which had got involved in worldliness. The teaching of Balaam had come in there. Now the fourth church Theathera where they'd allowed a woman called Jezebel or some equivalent, maybe that's a symbolic name of one who in the old testament left God's people astray.

But there was someone there who had power in the church, a carnal lady who had power in the church and it's a very dangerous thing when carnal ladies get power in the church. And the thing is she was misusing the so-called gifts of the spirit, abusing the gifts of the spirit, speaking about prophesying but prophesying in order to condone sin.

And it speaks about those who commit verse 20 those who commit in the last part those who commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. Now there are two types of immorality spoken of, adultery spoken of in the scriptures.

One is physical the other is spiritual. Spiritual adultery is when we are unfaithful to Jesus Christ and given to the sins in our flesh and end up as a spiritual harlot which is finally called Babylon in the book of Revelation.

And here was a particular teaching we can look at it also in a spiritual way that here was a particular teaching that was encouraging spiritual adultery. In other words they were not taking sin seriously.

Carnal people had got power in this church and they were leading people into spiritual immorality. And it says in verse 21 that God gave her time to repent. God is very merciful even to such people. He gives them time to repent.

There was a specific time given but she does not want to repent. In that time allotted God allots the time for every one of us in which he expects us to repent. And it says here that she does not want to repent of her immorality.

Notice here in verse 20 that this was a form of teaching. It was not just a loose life lived by certain people but there was a particular teaching that was coming forth in this church that was encouraging this type of spiritual immorality.

In other words a particular teaching could be the teaching of false grace for example. A teaching that leads people to think that because Jesus has shed his blood we don't have to be so careful about sin anymore because the blood of Jesus cleanses us.

That type of attitude leads to spiritual immorality. And it says here in verse 22, I will cast her upon a bed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds.

And there we see about tribulation that God gives. There is tribulation that man brings but here it speaks about tribulation that God sends as a punishment upon those who indulge in this type of spiritual immorality with the spiritual Jezebel.

And then it speaks in verse 23 about her children. Now there's a difference between those who commit spiritual adultery with her and those who are the result of that spiritual adultery, that is children.

We can look at it like this. Those who commit spiritual adultery with her are those who cooperate in this type of false teaching. And the children we can say are those who end up as a result of this teaching and follow in this way.

They may not be as guilty they may not be leading in teaching this type of spiritual immorality but they follow it and they also will be punished. Now God doesn't punish immediately everybody out in the world who lives in sin.

But when people come into the church in the name of Jesus Christ and then they condone sin in their life, then he judges. In the first letter to Corinthian chapter 11, Paul says to the Corinthians, he says, you come together to break bread in the church and then you don't judge yourself of sin in your private life.

What is the result? The result is many of you are sick and many of you are physically weak and some of you die before God's appointed time for you to die come. That happens to believers who play the fool with sin.

They get sicknesses which can't be cured with injections or pills or any such thing and they die before God's time for death come because of a loose attitude towards sin. Then he goes on to say, but I say this to you to the rest who are in theathera who do not hold this teaching.

Testing Doctrine by Its Fruit

That means who do not hold this loose attitude towards sin. I will place no other burden upon you who have not known the deep things of Satan. You see, there are people who speak about deeper truths and the Lord is using saying that sarcastically that those deeper truths are actually the deeper truths of Satan.

How do we know whether something is really the deeper truths of God's word or just a deception? Well, the test of everything is what Jesus said by their fruits you shall know them. What is the result of that teaching?

Doctrine is like a seed and we can't examine a seed always under the microscope and find out whether it's true or false but sow the seed into the ground and a few years you'll get a crop and when you look at the crop you know whether it was good seed or bad seed.

So if you find that a particular doctrine does not lead you to be free from sin you can be fairly sure that's not the doctrine of the New Testament. If there is a doctrine that the end result of which is that you can sin in your life and still have a good conscience you can be pretty clear that those deeper truths whatever they are are deeper truths of Satan.

Now there are a lot of people nowadays in these last days speak about end time truths and deeper truths and all these things but it does not free people from sin. Well then we have to say those are the deep things of Satan because they don't lead anybody to be free from sin.

The teaching of God is that which leads us to be free from sin and then it says here in verse 25 what you have hold fast until I come that is those who do not have this teaching keep it hold on now to the truth that you have received because it's very easy in a day of compromise to let go these things and to begin to become compromisers ourselves and it says in verse 26 he who overcomes that means he who overcomes sin and the world and the devil he who keeps my works until the end that is works of obedience who carries on doing it till the end either till the end of his life or till the time Jesus comes again to him I will give authority over the nation that is the reward that the Lord is going to give to the overcomer to rule.

In other words today if I rule my spirit one day God will give me authority over the world in the millennium. Now is not the time to rule over people. Now is the time to rule over my own spirit and to rule over the lusts in my flesh.

And one day God will give us authority to rule over the nation to shepherd them. It says in verse 27 the margin with a rod of iron in the millennium that will when Jesus rules on earth for a thousand years those who have been overcomers here will reign with him and rule the nations with a rod of iron and break all resistance.

For there will be resistance even in those days just like I have received authority from my father. In other words as Jesus overcame and received authority from his father we can overcome and receive authority from Christ.

And I will give him the overcomer the morning star. The morning star is the star that is seen just before the rising of the sun. And that is a particular promise to the overcomer that if you overcome in your life before the sun rises that is before Jesus comes to like it says in the book of Malachi chapter 4 it says in the last day Jesus will arise as the sun with healing in his wings the son of righteousness.

Malachi 4 verse 2 before the sun rises a little while before that those who overcome will see him as the morning star. They'll be taken up to be with him. That's a promise of the rapture before the sun rises before the 1000 year reign begins.

And that we will see later on as we come into the book that if we overcome before the world sees Jesus as the sun we will see him as the morning star. In the last chapter of the book of revelation we see that again revelation 22 and verse 16 the last part I Jesus have sent my an angel I am the root and offspring of David the bright morning star Jesus is the son to the rest of the world.

But to the overcomer we see him as the bright morning star before the sun rises. And it concludes in revelation 229 again with the phrase this is a message to all the churches down through 20 centuries.

Sardis: Spiritual Reputation Versus Spiritual Reality

Here is a message to every church. And now we move on to chapter 3 and verse 1. Here is a message to the fifth church to the messenger of the church in sardis right he who has the seven spirits of god.

The seven spirits of god means the sevenfold holy spirit. The holy spirit is referred to with seven names. For example in isaiah chapter 11 and verses 2 and 3 the spirit of wisdom understanding counsel strength the spirit of the lord spirit of knowledge and the spirit of the fear of the lord.

So and in the new testament 2 there are seven titles given he's called the sevenfold holy spirit. And the one who has the seven stars that is the messengers of christ are in his right hand. He says I know your deed.

Now this is an amazing leader and an amazing church in this sense that there's nothing good said about him some of the other leaders and churches there's something good in them and some bad things. But this particular leader and the last one which we shall see a little later the lord has nothing good to say about this one and nothing good to say about the seventh one which we shall see in a moment.

And we see here the lord says you have a name that you're alive but you're dead. He had a reputation that he was spiritually alive. That means a reputation among believers because the unbelievers are not interested whether you're spiritually alive or not.

You have a name that you're alive but god says in my sight you're dead. What does that teach us that believers can have an opinion about us which is 100 percent the opposite of what god's opinion about us is he who has years to hear let him hear that that a believer many believers may have a tremendous opinion of my spirituality and god's opinion about my spirituality may be exactly the opposite exactly the opposite.

And so the one who consoles himself by the fact that believers other believers in the church have a pretty good opinion of my spirituality we can say he's in the top of the list of the spiritual idiots.

He's an absolute idiot and an absolute fool to console himself that other believers think i'm all right that that's the condition of this fellow here you've got a name that you're alive. And here was a church that got a name that it was alive but god's opinion of that church was completely dead.

So what people think about us as a church is absolutely unimportant because they can only see the outside. You can go to a church. You hear the noise and the praise and worship and the music and this and that and other.

And you can think it is alive. God who sees the hearts and minds of those people may think they're completely dead. And then he tells him verse two. Well we can say very faintly perhaps there's one little good thing that's said about this church in a sense in a negative way.

Wake up and strengthen the things that remain which are about to die. That means there are a few things which are on the verge of death which haven't yet died but strengthen them otherwise even that will die.

He was on the road to total spiritual death. And god was warning him like he warns us praise god that the holy spirit warns us in the church when we are going in the wrong direction. And what does he say.

He says wake up. He says you're spiritually asleep. He doesn't say you've got false teaching. There was no jezebel here with false teaching. There was no doctrine of belam in this church. There was no doctrine of the nicolaitans no false teaching but hypocrisy.

And that's the worst danger. And it says here wake up don't be spiritually asleep. That is similar to the word jesus often spoke watch and pray. Watch means be alert. That's a better word watch. We don't understand so much in our day.

Be alert don't go to sleep spiritually. Be alert all the time. And i believe that's the word we need particularly in our day. Be alert don't go to sleep. You see what happens when we are asleep. When we are asleep we are living in a dream world an unreal world and the real world around us we know nothing about.

That's what happens when a believer goes to sleep. He's not aware of the real world which is the eternal world. He's living only for this world for this unreal world that's going to pass away. He's like a man asleep living in a dream.

The lord says wake up and let your eyes be open to spiritual reality and strengthen the things that remain which are about to die. And here's the complaint the lord has i have not found your deeds perfect in the sight of god.

Now notice this as you read through this section there's no false teaching here. There's no charge of immorality and idolatry here. No doctrine of belam of running after money. But you are not perfect now a lot of people who are afraid of the doctrine of perfection.

Here was one church that was afraid of the doctrine of perfection. They didn't believe in any such thing. And the result was the lord rebuked them. He says you've just got a name before men. Your works are not perfect in the sight of god.

In other words god wants our works to be perfect. It's possible if we understand the meaning of that word perfect. We don't have time to go into that. But we've spoken about that much in the church here.

But there's one other thing i want you to notice here which helps us to understand a little bit about perfection. And that is this phrase in the last part of verse 2. In the sight of my god that gives us a little indication of what is a perfect work.

The work that i do in the sight of men is always imperfect even if it's a good work when i give money to god and i want other people to know about it i may give a thousand rupees into the offering box.

It becomes an imperfect work because i did it for men to see. When i pray and i pray because i want other people to know about it it's imperfect. It's not in the sight of god. It's in the sight of men.

When i sing in the church to impress other people with my voice it's imperfect. It's in the sight of men not in the sight of god. When i fast and i want other people to know about it or i bring somebody to christ and i want to get some credit from men for it.

I've done a wonderful work saving a soul from hell. But it's become imperfect because i did it for the honor of men. And that's why we've got a dread seeking the honor of men. A church which speaks on perfection will always speak against seeking the honor of men because that more than anything else is what leads us to make our to have our works as imperfect.

That's how this man got a name that he was alive because everything he did he was very careful to see that men saw it. And he got a name that he was alive and god saw the wretched corrupt dirty motive in his heart and said your works are not perfect in my eyes.

Repentance, Readiness, and the Coming of Christ

Remember therefore verse three what you received and heard. So here was somebody who had heard this message. This is not like some person in some dead assembly where they never hear. No here was somebody who had heard this message but he hadn't taken it seriously.

It's a very serious thing to hear the word of god. To hear about perfection. To hear about not seeking the honor of men and then not bother about it. Remember he says what you received and heard and keep it obedient.

That's the word always keep it. Don't just hear. If you only hear you'll build on sand. If you hear and keep then you'll build on the rock and repent. This is the message to every church. Repent repent repent.

And i believe in the last days before the coming of christ the true church the bride of christ is going to be like a john the baptist the forerunner of the second coming of christ. You know what john the baptist message was repent.

And he didn't preach it to the romans or to the greeks. To whom did he preach it. To god's people. And in the last days the church is going to be like john the baptist preaching repentance. To whom. Not to the unbeliever but to the believers in the church.

Repent of this sin of seeking the honor of men of this sin that you've got a name before men but you're spiritually dead in god's eyes. Repent of it. And if you don't wake up even after all that i've said and i warned you i will come like a thief.

And you will not know at what hour i'll come upon you. Now we know that jesus christ said that he would come like a thief. But i want to tell you this dear friends he is coming like a thief for the unbelievers and for the carnal believers.

He's not going to come like a thief for an overcomer. You read that in one thessalonians chapter five. One thessalonians chapter five verses one to six. I want to read this now as to the times and the epochs brethren you have no need of anything to be written to you.

For you yourselves know full well that the day of the lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they're saying peace and safety then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child and they shall not escape.

Now listen. But you brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you like a thief. No for you are sons of light. You're sons of the day. We're not of the night nor of darkness. So then let us not sleep as others do but let us be alert and sober.

What does it say in verse four. It should not overtake you like a thief. In other words the one who is an overcomer he's not going to be surprised when jesus comes coming like a thief signifies first of all surprise.

I didn't expect it. And secondly it's not something we welcome very much because we are not ready. That's how it's going to be for a lot of people. And revelation chapter three. Verse three indicates that there are going to be some people like for example the believers who were in the same spiritual condition today as the believers in sardis.

Those believers in ninth in the 20th century who are in the same spiritual condition as the believers in sardis. Jesus is going to come like a thief. And they're going to be surprised. The thief would have come and gone.

When do you realize that a thief has come and gone from your house when you wake up in the morning. And so will it be when the overcomers are gone that the rest of these sardis type believers will wake up and find he's come and gone came in the middle of the night.

You will not know what hour i'll come. But those who are ready they are ready to go. They will know they will hear the call. But he says here he talks about the overcomers in verse four. But you have a few names in sardis.

God got a list of names. And he says you've got a few names in sardis who have not soiled their garments. You see there are. There were a few people in this church who were really keeping their garments clean.

And in the context of this chap of this section it seems to indicate that to keep our garments clean means not to seek the honor of men to live before god's face. Otherwise i soil my garment. But he says you have some people in sardis who do not seek the honor of men but who live in the sight of my god.

Therefore they do not spoil their garments. They will walk with me in white for they are worthy. It's amazing in the book of revelation where we read very soon in the book of revelation chapter five the lamb alone is worthy.

The same lamb of god says about some human beings that they are worthy they are worthy. And that also we read in luke 21 verse 36. Luke 21 36 it says keep on the alert. The same phrase wake up keep on the alert at all times praying in order that in the king james version it reads like this that you may be accounted.

What worthy to escape all these things and to stand before the son of man. Not everybody is going to be accounted worthy. Those people who go to sleep are not counted worthy. But there are certain people who are accounted worthy to escape these things and to stand before the son of man.

And he's speaking about the second coming of christ in that chapter. Let's turn back to revelation 3. So there are some people whom jesus says are worthy. And verse 5 revelation 3 5 he who overcomes will be clothed like this in white garments.

Like these overcomers clothed in white garments. And i will not erase his name from the book of life. Now that teaches us that it is possible for a man's name to be erased from the book of life. We read in the book of exodus in chapter 32 and verse 33 exodus 32 33 the lord said to moses whoever has sinned against me i will blot him out of my book.

Whoever has sinned against me i will blot him out of my book. And the lord himself has said that. That's pretty clear that a man's name can be in the book and the lord can blot it out. There's no second opinion on that when the lord himself has said it.

And so it says in revelation 3 verse 5 i will not erase his name from the book of life. It's possible for a man to have his name in the book of life and for his name to be blotted out. Jesus told the disciples who came back in luke chapter 10 saying lord it's wonderful.

Even the demons are subject to us in your name. And the lord said to those disciples in luke 10 20 rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. And judas iscariot was among those disciples when jesus said that.

But his name got blotted out. If you have the time sometime you can read psalm 69 verse 25 to 28 where is the prophecy about judas iscariot. Psalm 69 verse 25 to 28. We know that's a prophecy about jesus judas iscariot because it's quoted in acts of the apostles chapter 1 verse 20.

And one of the things written there about him is psalm 69 verse 28 may they be blotted out of the book of life. His name was there and it was blotted out because it is unfaithful. But he who overcomes his name will not be blotted out of the book of life.

And further revelation 3 5 i will confess his name before my father. Book of jude verse 24 says that one day jesus is going to present us faultless before the presence of his father. With what. With shouts of joy.

With exceeding joy. That means that jesus is going to say father. I'm just proud to confess this. This younger brother of mine think dear brothers and sisters to be in that number whom jesus in that day with great joy will confess our name because he's proud to own us in that day as one who didn't live for the world didn't live for the lust in the flesh didn't live for the honor of men but lived for god's glory.

And before god's face i will confess his name. If we confess him before men now he will confess us before the father. And jesus said in 32 if we deny him before men he will deny us in that day. And so here again is a message to all the churches.

Philadelphia: Brotherly Love and Faithful Obedience

Verse 6. Now we go to church number six which is the church in philadelphia. Verse 7 here is the best of the seven churches. Now out of the seven churches the lord rebukes five. And there are only two churches whom he does not rebuke at all.

And that is the second church the church in smyrna. And the sixth one the church in philadelphia. And it's very interesting to see that the church in philadelphia there's so many good things he has to say.

Much more than the church in smyrna. It's an excellent church and it's an exemplary church. It's the type of church that the lord is looking for in these last days. He who has years to hear let him hear.

This is the type of church the lord is looking for in the last days. The word philadelphia means brotherly love brotherly love. That's the type of church the lord's looking for in the last days to the angel of the church in philadelphia.

Right. He who is holy who is true who has the key of david who opens and no one will shut. And who shuts and no one opens says i know your deed. Notice this. He says here the one who is holy the one who is true one who has the key of david.

And in the new testament it's mentioned many times that jesus christ was born of the seed of david of the flesh of david and he overcame sin. And it says he has the key of david. That means he's got authority as one who came in our flesh overcame sin.

And therefore he has authority today with holy who is true who has the key of david who opens and no one will shut. Who shuts and no one opens. That means when the lord shuts the door no one can open it.

And the lord opens the door no one can shut it. This is what gives us great confidence as we go through life. I don't stand before closed doors if i am an overcomer because jesus has got the key to every door.

And if he shut the door i just turn away from there and go towards the door. The lord is open. It's a tremendous promise tremendous uh title that jesus has the one who has the key of david who opens and no one will shut.

Who shuts and no one opens. That's why we pray to him. Because we believe he's got the key to every door. Knock he said. And it will be opened unto you. How can he open to us things which look impossible in the eyes of men because he's got the key to every door.

He was the one who opened the fish's mouth and asked the fish to bring jonah outside. He can open every door if he cried to him in faith. He has authority. Notice it says in verse eight. I know your deeds.

I have put before you an open door which no one can shut. Nobody can stop you from being a witness for me in that town. I have put before you an open door. And notice this. You have very little power.

They were humanly speaking weak. He's not talking about their spiritual power. He's talking from a human standpoint. They were not big shots. They were not wealthy people. They were weak people humanly speaking.

They were not the most influential people in the town of philadelphia. They were weak. They were not smart and clever and all that. But here was their qualification. They had obedience. That's the church jesus is looking for.

You have kept my word. You have confessed me before men. And you have not denied my name. That's a phrase that occurs many times in the book of revelation. The word of god. Those who keep the commandments of god and the testimony of jesus.

Those who keep the commandments of god and the testimony of jesus. Here was a church that kept the commandments of god and held to the testimony of jesus. And so we see obedience the testimony of jesus held up boldly.

And philadelphia meaning brotherly love. That is the type of church jesus is looking for. I want to belong to a church where they preach obedience to the commandments. I want to belong to a church where they have brotherly love among themselves.

I want to belong to a church that unashamedly holds up the testimony of jesus christ. Will such a church be opposed. It certainly will you know. By whom. By religious people. Verse 9. I will cause those of the synagogue of satan who say they are jews.

We can say today in these days who say they are christian and are not but to lie. They say they are believers. But they oppose. You behold i will make them to come and bow down at your feet. And what will they know.

That i have loved you. That i have loved you. That's what the world is to know. That the father loves us as he loved jesus. You see there we have the foundation for the doctrine of perfection. God loves me.

Jesus loves me. I find my security in that love. I have loved you. And because of that what's the result. I keep the word of jesus the last part of verse 8. And i have fervent love for my fellow believers.

We love god and one another because he first loved us. That is the church which jesus commends. We are opposed by religious people those of the synagogue of satan who say that they are jews. Opposition from religious christendom.

Now it's very interesting to see that this synagogue of satan who say they are jews is mentioned in only two churches. You remember which the other one was the church in smyrna chapter 2 verse 9 that these two churches which are the ones which are commended and praised by jesus the most were the two churches who were opposed by religious people of their days.

Isn't that interesting. That's exactly like it was with jesus christ. Who were the ones who wanted to crucify jesus christ. Not the romans not the greeks but the religious jews. And i want to say this brothers and sisters if we are going to be a church that is commended and praised by jesus we can expect maximum opposition not from the hindus and muslims but from the so-called believers.

If you are not receiving opposition from so-called believers i would say you perhaps are not one of those churches being commended and praised by jesus. You're one who seeks the honor of men. Notice that it's very significant that the two churches smyrna and philadelphia were the only ones who were being opposed by religious jews so-called god's people.

Religious believers so-called god's people fighting. Probably they call these people heretics but they stood for the truth. They believed in one who had the key of david as it says in verse 7. They believed that in jesus who came in the flesh of david and that was called heresy.

But jesus praised that church. And verse 10 because you've kept the word of my perseverance you see this is the great word here. You have kept the word of my patience the word of my endurance. That's another word that comes many times in the book of revelation.

The word of perseverance. He who endures till the end let endurance have its perfect result that you may be perfect and complete lacking in nothing. James 1 4 because you have kept the word notice the emphasis again on obedience obedience obedience to the word enduring in obedience i also will keep you from means i will keep you out of the hour of testing that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth now.

This refers to a future day when a time of terrific tribulation from god. Now notice we have already considered in chapter 2 there are two types of tribulation in chapter 2 verse 10. Tribulation from men.