The Fifth Church Sardis:
The name means, " The Remainder." This church is
what remained of Thyatira, and the different break away
groups, who were scattered in different groups & propagated in every
direction. So her Lord, shepherd and creator, who has the seven spirits of
God, says to her, "You have the name of being alive, but
you are dead." Awake and strengthen the remains which are about
to die, and that he did not find her works perfect in the sight of
God". He reminds her of what she had received and heard, he orders her
to repent and wake up, or else he will come upon her like a thief who comes
when not expected.
Christ says to this church which is about to die, "You say you are
alive, but you are dead." You are called Christians but you are
like the unbelievers. Some of you held meetings and conferences, lost
and denied their faith, and reduced it to rubbles, all in the name of
science. They made the true stories of, " Adam &
Eve," "Noah and the Floods," and,
"The Original Sin" meaningless symbolic stories.
They denied every thing, and went out of their ways to please science and
scientists, and they forgot their creator. As if God had ever abided and
limited himself to the formulas of science. Some other groups made
fortification to stone, "Virgin Mary,"or
"Sundays and Saturdays," or "Saints
and Icons," and so on, they started to differ and fight over
the fixation of the dates of the feasts and religious holidays.
Every one went out of his way to point the faults of the others, and
started to describe the speck in his brother�s eye and did not notice the
log that is in his own eye.
Yes, you are scattered in all directions, but you all have one thing
in common, and that is, your love to collect wealth and money, and as if
Christ has been splitted and divided, as if he did not say,
" sell everything and follow me."
This is the state of the church from the time of Napoleon till the very
recent days, which symbolizes and is similar to the times of the
divisions that took place after king Solomon and the times of
( 20 )
the exile to Babylon. The perfect times, for the devil to destroy any group he chooses and at any time that he wants.But we thank the Lord, who says, " You have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments and who shall walk with him in white garments, for they are worthy. He who wins shall be clothed in white garments, and his name shall not be blot out of the book of life, and that the Lord shall confess his name before God and his angels.
As you see, this is the meaning of the name Sardis, that there remained but some people, who still keep the true faith, those who are truly sorry for the condition of the church of these days. And exactly as God had said to Elijah earlier, " I have kept for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal, also at the present time, there still remains a remnant, chosen by the grace. (Rom 11 � 4/5 ).
So we have had enough divisions, and we have had enough slackening and
recession in the faith, for the judge will come like a thief, and we don�t
know the hour when that will be. And then neither science nor the
scientists will be of any use. Not even if you put all the earth
geological layers and the skeletons therein, under you or above your
heads, for it is written, " I will destroy the wisdom of the
wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
(Corinthians 1 � 19).
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make
straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of
joint but rather be healed. (Heb 12-12/13).
The Revelation ( 3 �7):
And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, "
The words of the holy and true one, who has the key of David,
who opens and no one can shut and who shuts and no one can open."
We would like to ask, " What does the key of David look
like? And to understand that we go to:
Isaiah ( 22 � 22):
And I will place the key of David on his shoulder; he shall open and
no one can shut; and shall close, and no one can open.
Yes, now we know, that God is talking about the cross that was
placed on Christ�s shoulder, and which he carried to complete his
victory and establish his kingdom.
The Revelation ( 3 � 8 ):
I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door which no one
can shut; I know that you have but little strength, and yet you have kept
my word and not denied my name.
9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say
that they are Jews and are not, but lie. Behold, I will make them come
and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
10 because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will
keep you from the hour of temptation, which is coming on the whole
world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.
11 I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, that no man takes your
crown.
12 He who wins, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he
shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of my God,
and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down
out of heaven from my God, and my new name.
13 He, who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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The Sixth Church Philadelphia:
The name Philadelphia means, " The Brotherhood Of Love."
We see the holy and true one, he who has the key of David,
which is the cross which was placed on his shoulders, and with which he
achieved the victory speaks and informs this church that in her time
a great temptation,
The Jews
, who go through the great tribulation which, is caused by the Anti-Christ. Will finally understand that the one who came first, the one whom they have rejected, crucified and gave him a crown of thorns, was none but their actual king for whom they have so patiently waited all the time. At this point, they will regret their actions, and come to bow and kneel in this church and join her ranks, that is why the Lord says, " I will make them come and bow down before your feet." And we see Saint Paul saying in Romans (11 � 15), " If their rejection means thereconciliation of the world, wouldn�t their acceptance mean, life from the dead? The Lord also says "Because you have kept my word of patience, I will keep you from the hour of trial." This is to make true the promise of Joe (2-32), which say, "And it shall come to pass that all those who call upon the name of the Lord, shall be delivered
( 23 )
The position of this church in the salvation path is that which symbolizes the period when the Jews returned to Jerusalem when Zurbbabel rebuilt the ruined temple of Solomon. (The ruined - temple, symbolized the church of Sardis, which is but the broken, split pieces and ruins of the church of Thyatira).
The period that followed Zurbbable rebuilding of the temple was that of the persecution of the Jews by the Seleucid Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Who desecrated the temple, and whose persecutions were but a symbol pointing at the great terrible tribulations and persecutions that the Anti-Christ will inflect on the church of Philadelphia and the whole world.
The first outlines of this church are visible these very days, but the
final reunion of the church will take place during the great persecutions,
which Anti-Christ will inflect on the believers of the church.
The Revelation (3 � 14):
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write, the words of the
Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of creation of God.
15 I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold
or hot.
16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you
out of my mouth.
17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not knowing
that you are wretched, miserable, poor blind and naked.
( 24 )
18 therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire,
that you may be rich, and white garments to cloth you and to keep the
shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your
eyes, that you may see.
19 Those whom I love, I rebuke and chasten; so be zealous and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and
opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
21 He who wins, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself
won and sat down with my father on his throne.
22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
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The Seventh Church Laodicea:
The name Laodicea means, " The Innocent Nation or The Innocent
People." This church is what remains of the church of
Philadelphia after the seventh and the last trumpet, when the
faithful believers who were sealed earlier upon their foreheads,
are lifted in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And it
shall go through the time of the pouring of the seven bowls of the wrath of
God on earth, and till the very end of time.
The true faithful witness says to this church, that her works are neither
cold nor hot, and that she thinks that she is rich, and knows everything,
not knowing that she is wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. So the
true one advises her to buy from him gold refined by fire and white garments,
to keep the shame of her nakedness from being seen. We also know
that, when Adam and Eve fell in sin, and their nakedness became
known to them, it became the symbol of lust, uncleanness
and sin, so they covered it up. Also this church is told
to buy white garments to cover her sins with Christ blood.
This also conforms with what king David had said in Psalms (32-1),
" Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is
covered."
( 25 )
The position of this church in the salvation path is similar to the time when Jesus was on earth, when he called the synagogue of the Pharisees, Scribes and the Sadducees blinds guiding blinds, as they were but blind hypocrites, who did not know the Lord God. Who came to them after the terrible persecutions of the Seleucid Antiochus IV Epiphanes by about 167 years, and who walked among them, eating with any one who invited or opened his door for him. And in the same way the Lord says to this church, behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He, who wins, will sit with me on my throne. And this church will be on earth when the Lord Jesus comes back to take the innocent people, those who won, to sit with him on his throne at the end of time.
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The Revelation Chapter four:
After this I looked, and I behold, and a door was opened in the heaven,
and the first voice, which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with
me; which said, " Come up hither and I will show you what must take
place hereafter.
2 At once I was in Spirit, and, behold, "A throne was set in heaven,
with one seated on the throne."
3 And he who sat there appeared like jasper and sardine stone, and round
the throne was a rainbow that looked like emerald.
4 And round the throne were twenty- four thrones, and seated on the
thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden
crowns upon their heads.
5 From the throne proceeded lightning and thunders and voices, and there
were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the
seven Spirits of God.
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The seven Spirits of God are the seven churches. And God�s heavenly throne has been also described by Ezekiel and Daniel, who describe the throne, the one seated on it, the rainbow around it, and the flashes of lightning issued from it, as we see in:
( 26 )
Ezekiel ( 1 � 26 ) :
And above the firmament over their heads there was the likeness of a
throne, in appearance like Sapphire, and seated above the likeness of a
throne was a likeness as it were of a human.
27 And upwards from what had the appearance of his loins, I saw as it were
gleaming copper, like the appearance of fire enclosed round about, and
downward from what had the appearance of his loins, I saw as it were the
appearance of fire. And there was brightness round about him.
28 Like the appearance of the bow, that is in the cloud on the day of
rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about,
And in Daniel ( 7 � 9 ) :
As I looked, thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days took
his seat, his raiment was white, as snow and the hair of his head like
pure wool; his throne was fiery flames its wheels were burning fire.
10 Behold, a stream of fire issued and came forth from before him, a thousand
thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousands stood before
him, the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
The one that was ancient of days is none but the Father, the Almighty God, who sat on the heavenly throne.
And in: Isaiah (24 � 23):
Then the moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed, because the Lord of
hosts will reign on mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before his elders he
will manifest his glory.
As you see Isaiah had seen the twenty-four elders, sitting on their twenty-four thrones, around the throne in the heavenly Jerusalem and at the end of time, when the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed as the Lord of all lords will reign.
*************( 27 )***************
The Revelation (4 � 6):
And before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal,
and around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living
creatures, full of eyes in front and behind.
7 The first living creature like a lion, the second living
creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a
man, and the forth creature like a flying eagle.
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are
full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never stop
saying, " Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God the Almighty, who
was and is, and is to come."
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These four living creature have been seen by both Isaiah, who calls them " The seraphim," and Ezekiel, who described them, but from a different angle as we see in:
Isaiah ( 6 � 1 ):
In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne,
high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 above him stood the seraphim, each had six wings, with two he
covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called the other and said, " Holy, holy, holy, is the
Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory."
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called,
and the house was filled with smoke.
And in: Ezekiel (1 �4):
And I looked, and behold, a whirl-wind came out of the north, a great cloud,
and fire flashing forth continually, and with brightness round about it, as
it were of gleaming copper.
5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures, and
this was their appearance, they had the likeness of a man.
6 And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings.
( 28 )
7 ..10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a
man, and the face of a loin, on the right side, and
each had the face of an ox on the left side, and each had the
face of an eagle.
18 The four wheels had rims and they had spokes, and their rims were full of
eyes round about.
And in: Ezekiel (10 � 10):
And as for their appearance, the four had the same likeness, as if a wheel
were within a wheel.
11 When they went in any direction upon their four sides, they did not have
to turn, but in whatever direction the head looked they followed it without
turning.
12 And their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings, and their
wheels were full of eyes round about.
As we see Ezekiel had seen the four creatures before John, and he describes all their sides, that is he saw each with four faces, but he did not see their fifth and sixth wings which cover their faces, as they were simply drawn. John saw one side of each of the four creatures, that is, he saw one face for each one but nevertheless he saw all the four types.
Ezekiel ( 1- 7/8/14 ), goes on to describe the creatures legs, feet, hands and the way they move, he describes the swiftness of their travel and their speed that is as fast as lightning.
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The Revelation (4 � 9):
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him
who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever.
10 The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the
throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever, they cast their
crowns before the throne, saying:
11 worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you have created all things, and with your will they are and were
created.
