Friday, March 11, 2016

Revelation 3:1-6 comments: Sardis

1 ¶  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy. 5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. 6  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
This church is in big trouble. It is called a dead church and not just a dead church but a dead church that thinks it is alive. It is called to repent, to have a change of mind and heart, or be judged.
Satan will not be prepared for Christ’s return for His church.
1Thessalonians 5:2  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
2Peter 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Luke 12:39  And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.
Mark 3:27  No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
White raiment is a symbol of righteousness before God.
Revelation 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Daniel 12:10  Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
These verses are linked by what they are talking about and having nothing to do with race as some racist preachers like the famous J. Frank Norris would have had you believe, as I heard a recording of him bragging about how he told a group of black preachers that one of the rewards for trusting Jesus was that in eternity they would become white people. Some people just have their own agenda.
Christ promises not to blot a person’s name out of the Book of Life. Either the following verses mean the people referred to can lose their salvation as God knows who will choose Him by His foreknowledge as noted in 1Peter 1:2 since the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4;
Exodus 32:32  Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin — ; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. 33  And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
Philippians 4:3  And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life.
Revelation 13:8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 17:8  The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Revelation 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works…15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:27  And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Revelation 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
…or all human beings’ names are in the book when their soul was created, based on God’s foreknowledge and if we reject Him our name is removed. The latter seems more likely to me as when we are saved we are said to be sealed and the Holy Spirit is given to us as a deposit, earnest money, so to speak.
2Corinthians 1:22  Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Ephesians 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Ephesians 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
So, it would be more consistent to believe that God’s Book of Life contains all human beings’ names and when we die physically the name is either left there or taken out based on what we have done regarding Christ…
Hebrews 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
And again, regarding verse 5;
Matthew 10:32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Philippians 2:11  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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