The "Lake of Fire" Series Part 7

8/7/2019 The "Lake of Fire" Series Part 7

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CONTENTS

PART VII: THE SEVEN SYMBOLIC CHURCHES OF REVELATION.............1

First: A Spiritual Sidebar.........................................................................................1

Not many Wise are Called........................................................................................2

No Error-Free Bible Translations............................................................................3A Translation Illustration........................................................................................3

Is the King James Bible Inerrant?...........................................................................5

There Aint No Hell in the Manuscripts...................................................................5

Errors in the King James.........................................................................................6

First Kill the Children..............................................................................................7

Straining at a Gnat?..............................................................................................7

Jesus or Joshua?.......................................................................................................8

The King James and William Tyndale....................................................................8

The Disciples Struggled with Christs Words...........................................................9

Understanding Comes Only From the Spirit...........................................................9

Wealthy Young Man Turns Down Apostleship......................................................11

Counting the Cost....................................................................................................11

Idols of the Heart....................................................................................................12

Seldom a Sermon on the 7 Churches of God..........................................................13

The 7 Churches are Gods Churches.......................................................................13

The Foolishness of Preaching..............................................................................14

Is the Book of Revelation a History or a Prophecy?...............................................14Defining: Come Quickly.......................................................................................15

When is the Time at Hand that Jesus Comes Quickly?.........................................16

Seven Means Complete............................................................................................17

The Seven Churches are One Church.....................................................................18

Preter Who?.............................................................................................................20

Jesus Often Repeats His Self..................................................................................21

The Devil Makes Man Mindful of Physical Things...............................................22

It Takes Spiritual Ears to Hear Spiritual Words..................................................23

Behold I Come Quickly...........................................................................................24

All Overcomers Receive All Rewards......................................................................25

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iiCONTENTS cont.

A Little History of Gods Church............................................................................27

The Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Chief Priests..........................................27

Woe, Woe, Woe..........................................................................................................29

Enter the Chief Priests The Holiest of the Holies................................................30

Paul the Pharisee....................................................................................................31

Blameless Zeal........................................................................................................31

High Priest Endorses Slaughter of Christs Church..............................................32

Paul Hated the Church of God...............................................................................32

Is the New Covenant the Old Covenant in your Heart?.........................................33

The Chief of Sinners was the Perfect Law Keeper..................................................34

Pharisees Always Command Keeping the Law of Moses.......................................35

Gods People are Still Scattered and Persecuted....................................................37


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PART VII:

THE SEVEN SYMBOLIC CHURCHES OF

REVELATION

First: A Spiritual Sidebar

Maybe by now some of my readers are beginning to say to themselves, Hold on a

minute, Ray, time out! All this stuff about symbols, and figurative language, and al

legories, and parables, and metaphors, and devils and serpents, and monsters from

the sea having seven heads and ten horns, and fires in a lake which is not really a

lake, but is a spiritual lake and not literal fire, and heads that are not heads, but

mountains, and the mountains are not mountains, but rather kings, etc., etc., etc., is

beginning to wear on me. It all sounds like some endless scavenger hunt or some an

cient version of Dungeons and Dragons, or maybe Gods version of Who Done It?

Yet others of you are saying to yourselves: Wow, this is MARVELOUS stuff! It is

amazing how God has hid the truths of His plan of salvation for the world, from the

world, and yet when one follows His instructions in unlocking these mysteries, IT

ALL MAKES PERFECT SENSE AND ALL THE SCRIPTURES HARMONIZE

BEAUTIFULLY!

Or maybe you are somewhere in between these two examples. WHY DOES GOD

WORK THIS WAY? Why doesnt He JUST SPEAK CLEARLY AND WITHOUT

PARABLES AND METAPHORS AND SYMBOLS AND EVERYBODY WOULD UN

DERSTAND HIM? There wouldnt be a thousand religions and five hundred Chris

tian denominations! We would ALL KNOW THE TRUTH and WE WOULD ALL BE

SAVED WITHOUT ANY LAKE OF FIRE!

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2The Lake of Fire Series

Not many Wise are Called

Maybe if you or I created the human race, we would have done it that way. But we

didnt; God did; and He didnt do it our way. God never intended for everyone to un

derstand His Word or His Plan except for the few that He calls in every generation.

He is not even trying to save the whole world in this lifetime or even in this age. The

prophet Habakkuk tells us this,

For the earth shall be FILLED with the knowledge of the

glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea(Hab. 2:14).

Oh itshallshall it? WHY NOT NOW? Wouldnt it be better NOW if the earth

were FILLLED with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord? Why later? Because it

is Gods way. Let me quote Hab. 2:3 from theRevised Standard Version:

For there is still a vision for the APPOINTED TIME; it speaks

of THE END, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it, it

will surely come, IT WILL NOT DELAY.

Gods ways take time and He does everything according to His schedule, trustme, EVERYTHING IS RIGHT ON SCHEDULE.

Why God hasnt even called whole categories of people during the past two thou

sand years:

For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise

men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, ARE

CALLED(I Cor. 1:26).

And of those called, only a few are chosen. And those few are admonished to

search, and hunt, and dig for the truth. None of this is an accident nor is it Gods

plan gone amuck. Gods plan is on schedule to the millionth of a millisecond. God

knows how many hairs were lost on your head today because He had already

planned how many you would lose, a long time ago.

God is considerably smarter and more powerful than most people could ever con

ceive (including myself). Who but God would have designed and created the Hebrew

and Greek languages. (People the world over are still saying, ItsGREEKto me)!

God caused these languages to die out. Later God revived these two dead lan

guages in Italy, France, and England during the period of time God preordained to

be called the Renaissance. Before this, no one spoke Hebrew or Greek in Europe,

and very few scholars understood these languages. God planned that this alone

would be a major barrier to understanding His Word. And when God finally put it


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Part VII: The Seven Symbolic Churches of Revelation3

within the hearts of men to translate His word out of the Greek, it was found to be

jam packed with metaphors, parables, figurative language, and ancient idioms, diffi

cult to translate.

No Error-Free Bible Translations

By the way, the idea of an inerrant or flawless translation is not even possible. It

just isnt possible to translate one language into another language PERFECTLY. It

cannot humanly be done! There are many words, idioms, and colloquial sayings in

many languages that simply HAVE NO EXACT EQUIVALENT in other languages.

But thats okay. It is possible to understand Gods Word even with these difficulties,

differences, and imperfect translations. That is because the real understanding is in

the SPIRIT and not in the LETTER. Certainly God uses both, but the emphasis is

on the former and not the latter.

The strange languages we find on earth today are the inventions of God Himself.

Yes, they are. God confounded the languages of mankind at the Tower of Babel. He

really did a number on the Chinese, didnt He?

God knows that understanding His Word is not a casual task that can be accom

plished without great effort. Paul told Timothy to STUDY, rather than just casu

ally read the Scriptures. Even with the aid of God Spirit, we must study, God does

not miraculously cause His saints to memorize and understand all Scripture.

When I was young and ignorant (okay,moreignorant than I am now), I

wondered why so many translations. Why not just one perfect one? Why dont those

who understand Hebrew and Greek just get together and whatever the word in

Hebrew is, translate it into an English word that means the same thing, and we will

have a perfect translation with no errors? There is no such thing, my friend. There

is no such thing as a perfect word for word translation from one language to anoth

er. If you doubt my statement, just ask a few experts, and they will enlighten you.

Every nation and every culture has its own ways and customs. Add to this prob

lem, the fact that the languages of Scripture were dead for centuries and had to be

rediscovered. Add to this, customs that no longer exist. Add to this, words that have

gone out of use, etc., etc., etc, and you will see the colossal task of translating 3500

year old Hebrew into modern English or 2000 year old Greek into English. Let me

give you a simple example of how the very same thought or idea is expressed in two

modern and very similar languages.

A Translation Illustration

My wife Manuela, is German. I asked her if they have a saying in Germany that is


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the same as one that I gave to her in English. She said, Yes, but we dont say it that

way. Well, I asked her how they do say it, and she replied:

WAS DU NICHT WEISST

MACH DICH NICHT HEISS

Okay. What is that in English? First she informed me the Germans choose these

specific words to express this old colloquial saying, because it rhymes so nicely. Here

is an exact word for word translation into English:

WHAT YOU DONT KNOW

MAKES YOU NOT HOT

Thats a word for word translation, but as you can plainly hear, in English the

rhyme is gone. And we dont normally speak that way in English either, so the

second line of word order must be changed:

WHAT YOU DONT KNOW

DOESNT MAKE YOU HOT

Now we might contend that this is anaccuratetranslation, but certainly not a

goodtranslation. A few of you might not as yet even know what the English counter

part of this saying is. And that is because translating also involves INTERPRET

ING.

We do, indeed, have a similar saying in America, to this saying in Germany. But

in the American version, many would not understand it unless we change a word or

two.Nowwe do have a similar saying in America with the same general thought

and wording, and so we would properly translate this old Germany saying as fol

lows:

WHAT YOU DONT KNOW

WONT HURT YOU

It sounds just as strange to Germans when they hear our version: wont hurt

you as it sounds strange to us when we hear doesnt make you hot. Actually the

German version of this colloquial saying is more precise to the truth than is our

American version. There are many things that you might not know or be aware of

thatcanhurtyou. One could have cancer and not know it, but it sure could be hurt


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ful to your body. But in Germany they are more precise in that what one doesnt

know doesnt make one hot. Or as we might say in English: hot under the collar.

Or make us flush or blush by raising our blood pressure. The emotional reaction of

getting hot comes from knowing something, not from not knowing something.

Anyway, I hope that everyone reading this paper can see, from this simple ex

ample, that a perfect errorfree translation of Hebrew and Greek into English is

NOT POSSIBLE! There will always be minor or major changes in the interpretation

when translating. This is one reason why Peter tells us that no Scripture is its OWN

INTERPRETATION. We must compare Scripture with Scripture. Likewise, we must

have TWO witnesses of Scripture before a binding truth is established.

Is the King James Bible Inerrant?

Many feel that the King James Bible is inerrant (incapable of error). It is, in fact,

a doctrine of some denominations. There have been over ONE HUNDRED THOU

SAND changes in the King James Bible. Most of them are relatively minor changes

such as spelling, grammar, etc. Nonetheless, I think all should agree that any trans

lation requiring a hundred thousand corrections hardly could be called perfect and

inerrant. In the front of my 1611 Edition of the King James there is an elevenpage

dissertation entitled: THE TRANSLATORS To The Reader. And in it the translat

ors freely confess their inability to translate the Scriptures flawlessly.

This 1611 KJV also has notes in the margins. Unfortunately, these have all been

removed from most modern printings. Hundreds of times you will find in the mar

gin, notes stating what the Hebrew or Greekliterallysaid even though they saw fit

to translate it otherwise. I am not criticizing this practice. Often it is necessary be

cause it is not possible to translate word for word and have it make sense in English.

Most of the corrections made over the centuries have been positive, however, there

still remains a few major errors that desperately need correction. Example: the

words hell and eternal have no equivalent in either the Hebrew or Greek manu

scripts! (Read the first ten pages of myLetter to John Hageeon this site).

There Aint No Hell in the Manuscripts

Lets consider the use of the word hell in Scripture. The Jewish Publications avoid

the word hell in their translating. And just maybe Jewish scholars understand

their own language better than others. In the KJV we regretfully still read hell ina number of Old Testament Scriptures:

The wicked shall be turned into hell[Hebrew:sheol],and all

the nations that forget God(Psalm 9:17).
http://bible-truths.com/hagee1.htmhttp://bible-truths.com/hagee1.htm


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Next from the most popular selling Bible today,The New International Version:

The wicked return to the grave[Hebrew:sheol], all the nations

that forget God.

Many modern English translations are dropping the word hell, more and more

from their translations. Why? Because it should have never been used in the first

place, and honest scholars are beginning to see that clearly.

This is one area where the KJV translators are really inconsistent. The translat

ors of the KJV translate the Hebrew wordsheol,31 times as, hell. But ... BUT, did

you know that they also translate this same wordsheol,31 times as, grave? Oh

really? Yes, really! And 3 times, pit. That looks like a toss of the coin, doesnt it?Thirtyone, hell and thirtyone, grave. Do you think that maybe that is how they

determined which it should beheads for hell and tails for grave? And maybe

three times pit when they dropped the coin?

Now let me show you how you all can have greater wisdom than even the modern

translators. The sameNew International Versionthat I quoted above has this in

Luke 16:32:

In hell, where he was in torment

But by the word hell there is a superior letter c indicating a marginal notation

which says: 23 GreekHades I thank these translators for their partial honesty.

Why partial honesty? Becausehadesis the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word

sheol,which these same translators translated into the English word grave in

Psalm 9:17 (and other places), but in Luke 16:23 they revert back to the unscriptur

al word hell. By the way, the Holy Spirit inspired the Hebrew wordsheolto be

translated into the Greek wordhades,so we know for sure that theyareequival

ents:

Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell[Gk:hadesfrom

Heb:sheol]neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see cor

ruption.

That, my friends, is a quotation from the Old Testament Hebrew Psalm 16:10.

Therefore,hadesandsheolare synonymous and should never be translated hell.

Errors in the King James

Those who claim that the KJV is inerrant are not aware of the fact that one edition

of the King James left out the word not in the seventh commandment. There were,


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in fact, three different corrections and revisions of the KJV in its very first year of

publication.

First Kill the Children

There have been countless mistakes in all the editions of the KJV. I will give you

just a few. The 1716 Edition had Jesus commanding the adulteress to,sin on

moreinstead ofsin no moreIn a 1795 Edition Jesus is reported to have said to

the SyroPhoenician woman,Let the children first be killedinstead ofLet

the children first be filled.They called that Edition The Murderers Bible. In

the 1792 Edition of the King James Bible has Phillip denying Jesus instead of Peter

denying Him.

Straining at a Gnat?

And there are still obvious errors remaining in the KJV after four hundred years of

corrections, revisions, and editing. In Matt. 23:24 we read this in the KJV,Ye

blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.So whats wrong

with that? Its incoherent! Its apples and oranges. Christ is speaking of swallow

ing, as in swallowing a camel. But straining at a gnat has nothing to do with

swallowing a gnat. In four hundred years, the revisers of the KJV have not caught

that slip. Most other translators have caught it and translate it properly:

strain out the gnatAmerican Standard Version.

Blind leaders! You filter your wine to get rid of a gnat, and

you swallow a camelC. H. Rieu. (Although Mr. Rieu uses too

many uninspired words, he nonetheless, does translate the idea prop

erly).

strain off a midge, yet gulp down a camelNew English

Bible

you call yourselves leaders, and yet you cant see an inch be

fore your noses, for you filter out the mosquito and swallow the

camelPhillips Translation. (Again, Mr. Phillips uses too many un

inspired words, however, he too nails the meaning quite well).


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Jesus or Joshua?

One more: Two obvious mistakes that were made in the 1611 Edition of KJV also

have not been corrected to this very day. In both Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8, the name

Jesus appears where Joshua is actually meant. Actually Jesus and Joshua are

spelled the same in Greek, but, nonetheless, the translators were inattentive or they

would have caught this error.

The King James and William Tyndale

I do not point out these errors to disparage the KJV. Not at all, but to merely show

that those who claim inerrancy in translations are just plain ignorant of the facts.

The truth be known, if the wordssheol/hades, and olam/aion, were properly

translated the King James would be maybe the finest translation of all time. To me

the rhyme and meter of the King James is unparalleled. And this has been accom

plished without sacrificing accuracy. It is a masterful work of translating.

Of course, the 1611 Translators shouldnt get the lions share of the credit for

this accomplishment. Perhaps as much as 90% of the KJV is the work of Translator

William Tyndale, irrespective of the fact that the KJV translators do not even ac

knowledge his contribution to their work.

And so it was Tyndale who accomplished this magical rhyme of Scriptures and

yet stayed very precisely to the original Hebrew and Greek wording besides properly

interpreting the meaning of thought. Of course, we all know, it was really God Him

self who intended the most popular version of His Word on earth, to have that spe

cial quality about it. Sadly, Tyndale translated only about twelve books in the Old

Testament before the Church thought it necessary to strangle him and burn his

body for his sin of making the Word of God available to the common people. We will

learn more nasty little habits of the Church in the pages that follow.

If translators attempt to translate thought for thought rather than word for

word, then the translators become, of necessity, interpreters. In those cases where a

word, thought or idiom cannot be translated perfectly, the translators attempt to do

the best they can. This is the reason that I use many translations and I find them

all helpful. Although the translators ofThe Living Biblemay have gone a little far

when they translated Job 41:30 thus:His belly is covered with scales as sharp

as shards; he drags across the ground like a steamroller!

I am sure by now, that you have noticed how I go to great pains to explain one

statement in Scripture by one or more other statements in Scripture, so that the

meaning can be understood even if the translations are less than perfect. But this

takes a great deal of work. If we had to read popular novels this way, there would be


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very few novels purchased. I have spent hours and days on one verse. And then,

dont you know, God would reveal the truth of the verse to me days later while driv

ing down the Interstate.

The Disciples Struggled with Christs Words

I just love the subtle humor that God gives us in His Word. If the apostles had

trouble understanding the words of our Lord, when they were right there with him,

and no language translator was needed, seeing that they all spoke the same lan

guage, is it little wonder that we have trouble 2000 years later, speaking totallydif

ferent languages?

On the evening of the Lords Supper, Jesus was teaching His disciples many

things. At one point in the evening the disciples said:

Then said some of His disciples among themselves, What IS

THIS that He says unto us?(John 16:17).

They said therefore, What IS THIS that He says, A little

while? we CANNOT tell what He says. Now Jesus knew that

they were desirous to ask Him, and said unto them, Do you enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while and ye

shall not see Me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see

me?(Verses 1819).

Jesus then explains His statement more thoroughly in verses 2931,

His disciples said unto Him, Lo, NOW SPEAKEST THOU

PLAINLY, and speakest NO PROVERB. NOW are we SURE that

Thou knowest all things, and needs not that any man should

ask you: by THIS we believe that you came from God. Jesus

answered them, DO YOU now believe?

To avoid open embarrassment, the disciples said in effect: Oh, okay, now we get

it now Youre talking Lord, now its all plain. Now that you arent speaking in

parables and proverbs and symbols, we see now what Youre talking about. NOW we

understand. Oh really? Jesus let them know that they didnt understand at all!

Understanding Comes Only From the Spirit

In John 16:4 we read this,


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But these things have I told you, that WHEN THE TIME

SHALL COME, ye may remember that I told you of them.

Verses 1215,

I have yet MANY THINGS to say unto you, but ye CANNOT

bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come,

He will guide you into ALL TRUTH: for He shall not speak of

Himself[Jesus IS this Spirit of Truth]; but whatsoever He shall

hear[from His Father], that shall He speak: and He will show

you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of

Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hasare Mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall

show it unto you.

So why didnt the disciples understand these things when Jesus first taught

them? Because they werent converted as yet. They did not have the Spirit of God as

yet. That is the ONLY way we can ever understand these deep symbolic mysteries of

God:

But God has revealed them unto us BY HIS SPIRIT: for the

Spirit searches ALL things, yea, the DEEP things of God(I

Cor. 2:10)

But we have the MIND of Christ(Verse 16).

I believe we need to beware of those who claim to know Gods Spiritual Truths,

but know preciously little about Gods Word, the Scriptures. Gods Spirit never con

tradicts His Word, but the Churchs teaching contradicts Gods Word in hundreds ofplaces.

God has hid these mysteries from the world and even from the Church, I am sad

to say. Not that I am the only one to begin understanding these things. There have

always been some in every generation that God gave this understanding to. And

there are now people scattered around the world that understand these deep mys

teries of God and His prophecies for the future, but they are relatively few in num

ber.

Notice Revelation 5:10,

And has made US unto our God KINGS and priests: and we

shall reign on the earth.


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Now Proverbs 25:2,

It is the glory of God to CONCEAL a thing: but the honour of

kings is to SEARCH OUT a matter.

And so if we are to be kings, it is our honour to search out these things. You

must want it more than anything in the world; more than anything in life, more

than life itself! If you want life, you must SACRIFICE your life.

Wealthy Young Man Turns Down Apostleship

A young man came running to Jesus and fell down before Him intently desiring toinherit the kingdom with Jesus. He was a commandment keeper, but he was also

rich. Then we read this:

Then Jesus beholding him LOVED HIM [how many times have

you read this verse and never saw those two little words loved him?],

and said unto him, One thing you lack: go your way, sell what

soever you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treas

ure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and FOLLOW ME.

Many have failed to see in this verse that Jesus offered this young man the op

portunity to not only inherit the kingdom of God, and to have eternal life, and to

have treasure in heaven, but to be Christs apostle right then and there! Would you

have taken Jesus up on such an unbelievable opportunityto be His very apostle?

They wouldnt have needed to cast lots to replace Judas with MathiasJesus would

have already had the twelfth man. But the young man sadly turned Jesus down.

Oh yes, it was sadly, but he did turn Jesus down. He said, Thanks but no

thanks the cost is too great!

Say, did you forget that phrase already,Jesus LOVED him?Yes, and Jesus

loves him still, and He will always love him, even if this young man will probably

have to go through the lake of fire to be purged of his wicked idol of the heart.

Counting the Cost

Would you have taken up Christs invitation to become an apostle with Him? Oh

really? And just what idol of your heart are you willing to give up? You say, I amnot rich, or I would give it up to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. Well then, I guess we

can eliminate wealth as one of the idols of your heart. But what is still left in your

heart that you idolize? I believe that I have the mind of Christ when I say that there

are many readers of this paper on the lake of fire that have as their idol their own


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false religious doctrines. And they are not willing to give them up, not even for

Christ. And, many will not even go away sadly after reading this paper because

they are so spiritually blind that they do not recognize their idols as idols.

Many spiritually blind believers think that they truly are disciples of Christ, but

they go out telling the world that Jesus Christ will not take away the sin (singular

SINALL SIN) of the world, as John the Baptist plainly said under inspiration of

God, that He would (John 1:29). And that Jesus Christ is NOT the SAVIOUR OF

THE WORLD, even though His Father plainly said that He is (I John 4:14). And

that God willnothave all mankind to be saved, though God inspired Paul to say

that He WILL save all mankind (I Tim. 2:4, & 4:10). Are such deceivers worthy to be

called disciples and apostles of our Lord? I speak as a fool!

Idols of the Heart

These evil and unscriptural doctrines are idols in the hearts of millions! And until

they repent and get rid of theseidols of the heart(Ezek. 14:4), they cannot be

Christs disciples or apostles. They may say that they are apostles, but they are

not. The very church of God where Jesus Christwalksin their midst andholds

the seven angels of the seven churches in His hand,nonetheless, has in its

midst,them which say they are apostles, and ARE NOT but LIARS.

They say that they are circumcised in heart Jews, but they are NOT,

I know the BLASPHEMY of them which say they are[circum

cised in heart]Jews, and are NOT, but are the SYNAGOGUE OF

SATAN.(Rev. 2:1, 2, 9).

Is that strong enough for you? While Im at it, let me give you a little more, see

ing how paramount this knowledge is to our understanding of Gods plan.

It is God who has created this universe as we see it. God has determined the

best path in bringing about His purpose. Sharks, weeds, spiders, and poison mush

rooms are all part of Gods master plan. As are hurricanes, tornadoes, floods,

droughts, earthquakes, and disease. We may not always understand it, but we can

not deny its existence.

My only son died of encephalitis when he was only seven and a half years old.

Doctors believe that he was bitten by a diseasecarrying mosquito. I dont like mos

quitoes! But God also made sunsets, starlit nights, white clouds on blue sky, trees,delicious foods, cool water, kindhearted people, puppy dogs, and kittens. I love

puppy dogs and kittens. I see a kind and gentle loving God in the face of a kitten.


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Seldom a Sermon on the 7 Churches of God

Have you ever heard a sermon on the seven churches of God described in Revelation

2 & 3? Probably not. Especially if your pastor has even the slightest understanding

that these seven (Gods number of completeness) churches represent the WHOLE

CHURCH OF GOD down through centuries to our very day. I dont believe there are

very many clergymen that would want you to know just what evil lurks in their hal

lowed halls of heinous heresy. Lets find out.

God is about to show you some mysteries and secrets that have been withheld

from most Christians for centuries. The understanding and overcoming of these

mysteries is also a huge part of Gods master plan for those whom He is enlighten

ing in this dark, dark world. God is calling out (for that is what the word church

means) a people that are desirous of knowing His will at all cost.

Locked within the symbolic language of the seven churches of Revelation is one

of the most intriguing revelations of the spiritual weaknesses of mankind that we

could ever discover. Out of these spiritual weaknesses, God is calling a people that

will have great strength. Much of the strength and character and godliness are ac

quired by the very act of coming out of this corrupted system. It is akin to the pains

of childbirth. You women are asking how I would know anything about that, seeing I

never gave birth to a child. Okay, then, the pain can be horrific like an abscessed

tooth (I have experienced that). The tooth must come out. And if the infant does not

come out, it will die and the mother as well.

The 7 Churches are Gods Churches

Make no mistake, the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 are the churches of the

Living God! They are not pagan churches, neither are they Satans churches, but

they areGODSchurches! It is none other than Jesus Christ Himself who

...walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks [which

are the seven churches](Rev. 2:1).

He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit[of GOD]says

unto the churches(Rev. 1:7, 11, 17, 29, 2:6, 13, 22).

We must understand what the Spirit says, which Christ interprets to mean hav

ing an ear (an spiritual ear) that can understand. This is not some game of Dun

geons and Dragons. This is real life. This is the way God has designed it. God has

shrouded the mysteries of life in parables and metaphors and symbols.

When Adam and Eve could lazily pick their fruit and food with little effort, they


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had little appreciation for them. God wants us to desire His way above life itself. He

wants us to sell all that we have so that we can purchase the pearl of great price. He

wants us to buy a field that has hidden treasure in it. God wants us to use our body,

mind, and spiriteverything we have, to acquire the HIGH CALLING.

Paul said, forgetting the things that are past, he pressed onward and upward. I

am not trying to sound melodramatic, but thats just the way it is. We really do

wrestle withspiritual forces of wickedness(Eph. 6:12).

The Foolishness of Preaching

Oh, sure, the Creator God is using jerks like L. Ray Smith to unlock and mysteriesof the universe and show us how we should live by interpreting ancient symbols in a

book written in ancient Hebrew and Greek. I know, it sounds foolish to the carnal

mind. That God should die on a wooden cross might also sound foolish, but nonethe

less:

For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish FOOL

ISHNESS; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom

knew NOT God, it PLEASED God by the FOOLISHNESS OFPREACHING toSAVEthem that believe(I Cor. 18 & 21).

Its just Gods way. And it is a grand way.

Back to the churches: Jesus Christ offers both, commendation and condemnation

to His Churches. But notice what Jesus Christ says to John:

What you see, write in a book, and sent it unto the seven

churches...(Rev. 1:11).

This is not L. Ray Smith speaking here, but Jesus Christ to the seven churches

(seventhe complete church of God from the time of Christs departure until the

time He judges the world).

Is the Book of Revelation a History or a Prophecy?

Has everything in the book of Revelation been already fulfilled as taught by the

Preterist theory? Or is there much to yet be fulfilled in this prophecy?

Here is some wisdom concerning the prophecies of Revelation. John wrote in a

book what he saw at the time of the vision. The seven churches of Asia Minor

already existed at the time of his vision. But the vision is not all history to those


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who read it down through the centuries, not at all. The things written in this book

are both present and future to the reader:

(1)to show to His servants things which must shortly [Greek:quickly or swiftly]come to pass(Rev. 1:1), and

(2)For I testify unto every man that hers the words of the prophecy

of this book, if any man shall add unto these things[written in this

prophecy], God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in

this book(Rev. 22:18).

Now then, if this book has already been completely fulfilled, how would it be pos

sible for me or anyone else who reads this book down through the centuries, to addto or take away from the prophecy of this book? Such an admonition would be

meaningless if everything in this book were already completely fulfilled by the end

of the first century.

The contents of this prophecy started with the vision of John on Patmos two

thousand years ago and will continue until the return of Christ and the judgment of

the world, and continues even beyond that until the end of the ages spoken of in this

prophecy!

Defining: Come Quickly

What does Christ mean when He says,I come QUICKLY?By the way, the word

shortly in Rev. 1:1 is the same Greek translated quickly everywhere else in Rev

elation.

things that must quickly come to pass(Rev. 1:1)

I will come unto thee quickly(Rev. 2:5).

I will come unto thee quickly(Rev. 2:16).

Behold, I come quickly(Rev. 3:11).

the third woe comes quickly(Rev. 11:14).

Behold, I come quickly(Rev. 22:7).

And, behold, I come quickly(Rev. 22:12).


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Surely I come[Greek: am coming]quickly(Rev. 22:20)

From the first verse in Revelation to the last verse, we are told of things thatmust com to passquickly.But all this was written two thousand years ago and it

hasnotas yet all come to pass. If two thousand years is quickly, I would hate to

know how long it would take if it came about slowly. A contradiction in the Scrip

tures? Hardly. But is rather a contradiction in mens interpretation of this prophecy.

I have had Preterists write me and ask if I couldnt see that all of Revelation was

already fulfilled in the first century AD? Oh really? HasEVERY mans work

been judged already in the lake of fire? And is it a fulfilled reality today that,

God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall

be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall

there be any more pain: for the former things are passed

away?(Rev. 21:4).

Have you seen the world news in the past twofour hours? Am I missing some

thing? I see tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain, everywhere, every day!

All scholars agree that Revelation was written late in the first century AD. Are

we to believe that God caused the most profound book in the entirety of the Bible to

be written and fulfilled BEFORE virtually a single person had an opportunity to

even read it? Thats absurd.

When is the Time at Hand that Jesus Comes Quickly?

What and how then, does anything in this book come aboutquickly?Good ques

tion. Obviously noteverythingin the whole book has come about quickly, because

there is much yet to come about and be fulfilled. Just what then does come about

quickly?

When Jesus tells John that He wants His servants to see what must quickly

(or shortly, if anyone insists on using that word), He does not say thateverythingin

this book must quickly or shortly, come to pass. Notice it: One time we are told that

the third woe comes quickly. And all of the other six times it is Jesus Christ Him

self that comes quickly.

The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe comes

quickly(Rev. 11:14).

That is, it comes quickly behind the second woe. We have the first woe, then the

second woe, and right on the heels of the second woe comes quickly the third and fi


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nal woe. And so this use of the word quickly proves nothing concerning how long it

takes to fulfill the whole book of Revelation.

So really then, the only use of the word quickly that we need to understand ishow it is used with reference to Jesus Christ coming quickly. Six times we are told,

I will come I will come I come I come I come I comeSo it is JE

SUS CHRIST that comes quickly, rather than all of the prophecies of the book be

ing fulfilled quickly in any ONE generation.

Nowhere in Revelation does it say that every prophecy in the book will be ful

filled, quickly in any one generationeither past, present, or future. It is not just in

one endtime generation that Revelation is fulfilled quickly! NO! It is fulfilled

quickly in each and every person who READS AND UNDERSTANDS this prophecy, through all generations, even though there is an eventual culmination at the

lake of fire and final white throne judgment.

Seven Means Complete

The Sabbath or seventh day COMPLETES the week. Daniels famous prophecy

was

SEVENTY weeks are determined upon thy people and upon

thy holy city, to finish[complete]the transgression, and to make

an end[complete]of sins(Dan. 9:24).

Seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven plagues complete Gods wrath on man

kind. Seven is used over six hundred times in Scriptures. Check if your wish, to see

how many times seven shows completeness.

Therefore, how many churches complete THE WHOLE CHURCH OF GOD?

write in a book and send it unto the SEVEN churches which

are in Asia(Rev. 1:11).

Were there not churches (congregations) also in Judea as well? Even in Rome?

Why only the seven churches in ASIA? Because these seven congregations com

pleted all that Jesus had to say to all congregations, everywhere. This is a COM

PLETE revelation for ALL CHURCHES. These seven congregations had within

them all of the sins, weaknesses, and shortcomings of all congregations everywhere

during ALL TIME. I will make this abundantly and Scripturally clear. But on the

positive side, all of the churches had at least afew namesthat were not spiritu

ally defiled, and who will be in the first resurrection as Sons and Daughters of God

to bring the rest of the harvest, the great fall harvest into the Kingdom.


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These churches that personify in symbol all of Gods church for the past two

thousand years, are in fact, the training ground and the proving ground for the

elect. Coming out of this carnal system puts one among the called and the chosen

and the VERY elect. Paul called itthe HIGH CALLING.

When you go through the messages to the seven churches, you will see a reitera

tion of the same problems in all the congregations.

It would take me twenty pages to reiterate all the similarities of both sins and

rewards found in all seven church congregations, which represent the whole church

of God throughout all generations. Here are just a few things that absolutely prove

that these seven churches represent Gods complete church though all generations.

This is not a dissected church divided up into particular or separate dispensations,ages, or eras.

The Seven Churches are One Church

1. Jesus says that the seven messengers and the seven churches are all,in

My right hand(Rev. 1:20). ONE handthey are all ONE.

2. These things say He thatwalks in the midst of the seven golden

candlesticks[addressed to Epheus, but for ALL SEVEN CHURCHES]

(Rev. 2:1).

3. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto[unto

WHOM? Unto Ephesus only? No, read it] unto the churches[ALL

SEVEN CHURCHES](Ver. 7).

God wants ALL the churches to hear what He addresses to Ephesus. And

He wants Ephesus to hear what He addresses to Smyrna,He that has an

ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches(Ver. 11,17, 29, 3:6, 13, 22). All the churches are to hear what is spoken to ALL the

other churches.

4. To Ephesus, we find,Hewho walks in the midst of the seven

golden candlesticks[plural](Rev. 2:1), must mean that He also walks in

the midst of Smyrna too, and Pergamos, and Thyatira, and Sardis, and

Philadelphia, and Laodicea ALSO.

5. Of Ephesus we read,to him that OVERCOMES will I give to eat of

the TREE OF LIFE(Ver. 7).

Do those who overcome in Smyrna geta crown of life(Ver. 10), but are

NOT allowed toeat of the tree of life?


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Can those in Pergamos who overcomeeat of the hidden manna(Ver.

17), but are NOT allowed toeat of the tree of lifeas are those in Eph

esus?

Does neither Ephesus nor Smyrna geta crown of lifeas do the over

comers of Pergamos? Are the overcomers of Thyatira givenpower over

the nations,albeit, they will NOT be allowed,to sit down with Me

[Jesus]in My throne.as will the overcomers in Laodicea (3:21)?

Are the overcomers in Pergamos givena new name(Ver. 17), but do

NONE of the other churches also get this new name? The overcomers in

Sardis have Christs promise that,I will NOT blot out his name out of

the book of life(3:5).

Is it Sardis ONLY that has this promise? How could Smyrna not have her

name in the book of life, since she is givenA crown of LIFE?

6. Are notthy worksmentioned in ALL seven churches? Is notovercom

ingmentioned in ALL seven churches? Are not rewards promised in ALL

seven churches? How could Laodicea belukewarm(Rev. 3:16), except

that she alsoleft her first love(Rev. 2:4)? Or how could Sardis be spir

itually DEAD (3:1), except that she alsoleft her first love?

7. Does Jesuswalk in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks[plur

al] (Rev. 2:1), but speaks by the words of God,He which has the sharp

sword with two edges[Heb. 4:12]to Pergamos only (Ver. 12)?

Does Jesus Christ, who hasthe seven Spirits of God, and the seven

stars(3:1), which are the seven messengers of the SEVEN churches

(plural), speak by only one Spirit to one church (Sardis)? NO! Every church

is admonished tohear what the Spirit says unto the churches.

Why should Smyrna or Pergamos listen to the Spirits message to Ephesus

wholeft their first love?

Is any so foolish as to think Jesus tells all seven churches tohear what the

Spirit says to the churches(all the other plural churches), so that they can com

pare themselves among themselves and see which one Jesus thinks is the holiest of

them all? That is nonsense!

ALL seven churches individually, have ALL the problemsandALL the strengthsof all the churches combined. It is ONE prophecy, of ONE church, in ONE hand of

Jesus, which combine the characteristics of seven churches in Asia that shared all of

the good qualities and all of the shortcomings. Some think that Smyrna and Phil

adelphia did not have any shortcomings. They did. The Scriptures prove it. We will


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cover that in Part VIII.

All seven churches were spirituallylukewarm,which is like being spiritually

dead,because they allleft their first love,and they all had a members who

say they are Jews[spiritually circumcised and converted], and are not, but are

the synagogue of Satan,and all the congregations of the churches of God down

through the generations have been ruled over by theNicolaitanes.

ALL SEVEN CHURCHES HAD ALL OF THE PROBLEMS THAT EACH OTH

ER HAD, AND ALL OF THE CHURCHES OF GOD DOWN THROUGH THE GEN

ERATIONS HAD ALL OF THE PROBLEMS THAT THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF

REVELATION HAD. IT IS A PROPHECY OF THIS VERY CHURCH THAT EX

ISTS AROUND THE WORLD TODAY!

And that my dear readers is how these churches in Asia are all SYMBOLS for

what the Church of God would be like from the time John saw this vision, down

through two thousand years of Church history, and out into the future when Jesus

purges all evil from His Church and brings them all into the Family and Kingdom of

His Father!

Preter Who?For centuries theologians have written books on such unscriptural prophecy theor

ies as, Preterism, (all has been fulfilled in the past), and Futurism, (all is yet to

be fulfilled in the future). I get emails all the time asking if I am a Preterist or a Fu

turist? I tell them, No, I am a Jesusist (just kiddingI think I coined a new

word).

Why, oh why, dont they just listen to Jesus? Can you not all see from what I

presented above, that the book of Revelation is neither Preterist nor Futurist?

THE BOOK OF REVELATION IS TO ALL CHURCHES, IN ALL GENERA

TIONS, FOR ALL WHO READ THIS PROPHECY, WHEN JESUS OPENS IT TO

THEM, IN THEIR OWN LIFETIME (which comes quickly and is over shortly)!

I ask, Why? But, of course, I know the reason:

He that has an ear, let him hear[SPIRITUALLY]what the Spir

it says unto the churches(Rev. 2:7).

He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says unto the

churches(Ver. 11).



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churches(Ver. 17).

He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says unto thechurches(Ver. 29).


churches(Rev. 3:8).


churches(Ver. 13).


churches(Ver. 22).

Jesus Often Repeats His Self

So why did I repeat the very same sentence SEVEN TIMES? I cant take credit for

that; it wasnt my idea. Why would JESUS tell us the same thing SEVEN TIMES in

just two chapters (I submit to you that they is only ONE chapteronly men would

see the wisdom in breaking up the seven churches into two chapters).

When Jesus repeats something, it is because it is VERY important. When Jesus

wanted to emphasize something, He prefaced His statements by repetition:

Martha, Martha Simon, Simon Verily, verily

And when Jesus says something three times, you have got to know that it is

something EXTREMELY important:

And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed,saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me,

nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou will

Again the second time

And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the

third time, saying THE SAME WORDS(Matt. 26:39, 42, 44).

What might it imply that Jesus has said seven times,He that has an ear, let

him HEAR This has got to be MOST important for Him to repeat it to all seven

churches. Not only are the individual churches to hear what Jesus points out to

them, but everything pointed out to the individual churches to be heard by ALL


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THE OTHER CHURCHES AS WELL.

let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches[all the

churches].

Doesnt everyone have ears? Then why cant theyhearwhat Christ has to say

to the seven churches? Because I already showed you very clearly in previous in

stallments why people cant understand Jesus. Why they cant understand His par

ables such as Lazarus and the Rich man. Why they dont believe MANY of the plain

statements of Gods Word, such as I Tim. 3:4 and 4:10. It is because you cant hear

the real meaning of Gods words with physical and carnal ears! And many of the

leaders are among the most carnal in the church.

The Devil Makes Man Mindful of Physical Things

The devil has always been mindful of physical, literal, material things. Thats what

Satan dines on

DUST[of man]shall you eat all the days of your life(Gen.

3:14).

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a

roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour

[Greek: swallow up](I Pet. 5:8).

Yes, the Adversary eats dust and we, mankind, ARE dust of the ground.

Satan does not feast on spiritual foodit would choke him! Satan dines on the car

nal [flesh/meat] mind of men. While Jesus was physically starving for forty days, He

was feasting onspiritualfood from heaven! Satan thought he could trick Jesus intosatisfying His need for physical FOOD before He was finished dining on spiritual

food with His Father!

Then was Jesus led up of THESPIRITinto the wilderness to

be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days

and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered[and so was

STARVING,The Four GospelsBy C.H. Rieu].

And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If you be the Sonof God, command that these stones be made BREAD(Matt. 4:1

3).

Satan should have realized that one doesnt tempt a Spiritual Giant with a loaf


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of physical bread.

It Takes Spiritual Ears to Hear Spiritual Words

Listen to Jesus (with your SPIRIT):

WHY do ye[all of us]NOT UNDERSTAND MY SPEECH? EVEN

BECAUSE YE CANNOT HEAR MY WORD. Ye are of your father

THEDEVIL He that is of God HEARS Gods words[words of

SPIRIT, WITH HIS SPIRIT]: ye therefore hear them not, BE

CAUSE YE ARE NOT OF GOD(John 8:4344 & 47).

But the natural[soulish]man receives not the things of the

Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he

know them, because they are SPIRITUALLY discerned(I Cor.

2:14).

Practically the whole Church believes and teaches that Jesus spoke literal little

stories about physical people, places, and things, so that everyone could understand

Him. One cannot hear words of spirit with physical ears.

All they heard were the physical vibrations in the air against their physical

eardrums. Their heart and mind and spirit didnt hear a thing! We just read the

Scriptures above, where the greatest theologians and thinkers in the law could not

hear and understand Jesus. Little has changed in two thousand years!

As long as people think what Jesus taught was physical, and material, and liter

al, then they will never understand. Were the parables given to enhance under

standing? I speak as fool (read Matt. 13). Were the teachings of Jesus, temporary,

physical, literal? Let Him answer:

the words that I speak unto you, THEY ARESPIRIT, and

they are LIFE(John 6:63)!

Parables have a SPIRITUAL meaning, and all of Christs teachings are SPIR

ITUAL. And that is because His very words ARE SPIRIT! Remember that Revela

tion is the revelation OF Jesus Christ, it is HIS testimony. The words of His

testimony are therefore, also,SPIRIT.

So once again:He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says

What who says? Just who is doing the speaking here in Revelation?hear

what THESPIRITsaysIt isthe SPIRITspeaking to the churches, and the

words being spoken are those of Jesus, whichwords are SPIRIT,andthe


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LORD[Jesus Christ]is that SPIRIT(II Cor. 3:17).

Behold I Come Quickly

But just how is it that Jesus Christ comes quickly? Ah, now we are getting into the

marvelous revelation of this grand book. The key is found in the very first use of this

word quickly.

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast

left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art

fallen, andrepent, and do the first works; or else I will come

untoTHEE quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of hisplace, except thourepent(Rev. 2:45).

Does Jesus come quickly to rule for a thousand years, or to set up the white

throne judgment? Notice in what way Jesus comes quickly.

Here is the first verse in which Jesus says He will come quickly:

repent and do the first works or else I will come unto THEE

quickly(Rev. 2:5).

Who is this, thee? It is the CHURCH! But more specifically it is the members

that make up the Church.

It is, of course, the members of the church that haveleft their first love.

Here is absolute proof that the churches of Revelation personify the whole Church of

God down through the centuries until the great white throne judgment.

Whatever is found in the seven (the complete) churches of Revelation is also

found in the Churches from the time of Johns vision until the judgment of the

world. This vision shows not only the conditions in Gods Church at the time of

Johns vision, but of the condition of the Church right down till the judgment of the

world.

Revelation isThe Revelation OF Jesus Christ.It is not just a revelation

fromJesus Christ. It is a Revelation OF Jesus Christ HIMSELF! If we can only be

lieve what Jesus says of Himself:

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith

the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the

Almighty.

Therefore the book of Revelation also contains what WAS, IS, AND IS TO


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COME!

Read and understand:

Blessed ishethatREADSandtheythatHEARthe words of

this PROPHECY, andKEEPthose things which are written

therein: for the time IS AT HAND.

John to the seven churches which are in Asia

Write the things which you HAVE SEEN [past], and the

things WHICH ARE[present], and the things which SHALL BE

HEREAFTER[future](Rev. 1:23 & 19).

There it is. Can you see it? Thetime is at hand.For what? For,he that

reads and they that hear the words of this prophecyWhen would that be?

Whenever thehe that reads and they that hearare alive and reading this

prophecy.

Here then is how Jesus comes quickly to THEE. People have lived, read this

prophecy in Revelation, and then at some time thereafter, died. They have lived,

read, and died. Millions upon millions have already, lived, read this prophecy, andlater died. When does Jesus Christ come to the readers of this prophecy? When they

are alive. How long is that?

For what is your LIFE? It is even aVAPOUR, that appears for

a little time, and thenVANISHES AWAY(James 4:14).

If Jesus is to come to thee, dear reader, He must comequickly,because I

dont care how many years you may live; your life will be over SHORTLY!

All Overcomers Receive All Rewards

The whole book of Revelation is a book about the LIFE OF JESUS written for:

He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the

churches; ToHIM[any individual member of the churches]that

OVERCOMES will I give to eat of the tree of life(Rev. 2:7).

Is this the sole reward ofHIM that overcomes?NO!

Theres more; theres MUCH MORE:

He that overcomes shall not be hurt of the second death(Rev.


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2:11).

To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna,

and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name

written, which no man knows saving he that receives it(2:17).

And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to

him will I give power over the nations(2:26).

He that overcomes, 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(3:5).

Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my

God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him

the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God,

which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven

from My God: and I will write upon him My new name(3:11).

To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my

throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my

Father in His throne(3:21).

No, the overcomers inonecongregation, inonegeneration, dont getonereward,

while the overcomers in adifferentcongregation, in adifferentgeneration, gets a

differentreward. No, a thousand times, NOthe overcomers in ALL congrega

tions, in ALL generations, get ALL these rewards. Therefore the prophecies to these

churches are written for all the churches of God through all generations.

Perhaps ALL can rejoice over the good news concerning our grand rewards. How

ever, there is a dark side to the Churches of Goddarker than Darth Vaderdarker

than midnight! Whats good for the goose is good for the gander (I wonder how eas

ily that translates into other languages).

Just as all the rewards are promised to all the overcomers in all generations of

the Church, so likewise, do all the sins and shortcomings apply to all the churchesthroughout all generations. And the sins and shortcomings of Gods Church are

monstrous!

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, COME OUT


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OF HER MY PEOPLE, that you be not partakers of her sins,

and that you receive not of her plagues. For her sins have

REACHED UNTO HEAVEN, and God has remembered heriniquities(Rev. 8:5).

Yes, God is talking about His people, who are in His church, but BUT, who

must nonetheless, REPENT (Rev. 2:5 & 5, 16, 21, 22, 3:3, 19seven times, COM

PLETE REPENTANCE), and COME OUT OF HER. Coming out of her is no small

part of this repentance.

A Little History of Gods ChurchThere is great debate overwhenthe Church of God really started. I dont see the

problem myself, because the first mention of the Church is in Acts 7:38 where we

read:This is He[Christ, I Cor. 10:4]that was in the church in the wilder

ness(Acts 7:38). That is the first historical identification of a church in the

Bible.

As you are all aware, the church came from the wilderness and finally had a per

manent home headquartered in the Temple in Jerusalem. But, was as it a holy,

righteous, God fearing church? No, contraire. It was utterly corrupt. Lets see what

our Lord had to say about the Church of God in His day. Remember that the Scribes

and the Pharisees were among the most zealous for the Law of Moses and they were

the leading, ruling class of the day, along with the Chief Priests. They did indeed

sit in Moses seat.Here then is what Jesus had to say regarding the religious

leaders of Israel:

The Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Chief PriestsFirst John the Baptist:

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come

to his baptism, he said unto them, O GENERATION OF

SNAKES, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to

come?(Matt. 3:7).

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall ex

ceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, YE

SHALL IN NO CASE enter into the kingdom of heaven(Matt.

5:20).


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But the Pharisees said, He[Jesus]casts out devils through the

PRINCE of the devils(Matt. 9:34).

And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto His disciples,

Why does your Master eat with publicans and sinners?(Matt.

9:11).

Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against Him,

how they might DESTROY HIM(Matt. 12:14).

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow[Jesus]

does not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the

devils(Matt. 12:24).

Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered,

saying, Master, we would see a sign from you. But He answered

and said unto them, An EVIL AND ADULTEROUS GENERA

TION SEEKS AFTER A SIGN(Matt. 12:3839).

Then came His disciples, and said unto Him, knowest thou

that the Pharisees were OFFENDED, after they heard this say

ing?(Matt. 15:12).

Me thinks that maybe more than just a few modern day Pharisees will also be

offended after reading these accounts of their past, present, and future evil

shenanigans.

Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of theLEAVEN[the false doctrines, ver. 12]of the Pharisees and of the

Sadducees(Matt. 16:6).

And when the chief priests[oh yes, the very chiefest of the clergy

was included with the evil Pharisees]and the Pharisees had heard

His parables, they perceived that He spake of THEM(Matt.

21:45).

In verse 43 Jesus said that,

The kingdom of God shall be TAKEN FROM YOU [you Chief

priests and Pharisees].


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I believe I have the mind of Christ when I say that the kingdom of God shall be

taken from the chief priests and Pharisees of our day as well. They will not escape

the lake of fire, although it will be the best thing that has ever happened to them.

Woe, Woe, Woe

But WOE[deep distress, misery, grief, misfortune, calamity, sorrow,

dismay]unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES!(Matt.

23:13).

Woe unto, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES!(Ver. 14).

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES(Ver. 15).

Woe unto you, YOU BLIND GUIDES(Ver. 16).

You FOOLS AND BLIND(Ver. 17).

You FOOLS AND BLIND(Ver. 19).


You BLIND GUIDES(Ver. 24).


You BLIND Pharisees(Ver. 26).


Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, HYPOCRITES!you are

the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then

the measure of your fathers your serpents, ye generation of

vipers[venomous SNAKES], how can you escape the damnation

of hell[the judgment of Gehenna](Ver. 2933).

And hundreds have criticized my paper Exposing Those Who Contradictas be

ing too harsh on our modern Pharisees. So you think maybe this is just history, do

you?


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Wherefore, behold, I SEND [future]unto you prophets, and

wise men, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and cru

cify; and some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues,and persecute them from city to city(Ver. 34).

And just when we think it couldnt possibly get any worse than this:

Enter the Chief Priests The Holiest of the Holies

Then assembled together the CHIEF PRIESTS, and the

SCRIBES, and the ELDERS of the people, unto the palace of

the HIGH PRIEST, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted

that they might KILL HIM(Matt. 26:34)!

Now the CHIEF PRIESTS, AND ELDERS, AND ALL THE

COUNCIL[I believe we use that same word council today]sought

FALSE WITNESS against Jesus, to PUT HIM TO DEATH

(Matt. 26:59).

Imagine that? The CHIEF priests, and elders, and ALL the council sought

FALSE WITNESS to put their own Saviour TO DEATH! Thats pretty low, dont you

think? You reckon such a thing would ever happen today?

When the morning was come, ALL THE CHIEF PRIESTS AND

ELDERS of the people took counsel against Jesus to PUT HIM

TO DEATH(Matt. 27:1).

But the CHIEF PRIESTS AND ELDERS persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and DESTROY JESUS

(Matt. 27:20).

Even many of the Pharisees that believed on Jesus, because nothing but

troublemakers in the congregations of Judea. Look at what we have just read! This

is the very CHURCH OF GOD we have read aboutthe Council, the Elders, the

Scribes, the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Priests, and the very High

Priests!And we just saw what Jesus Christ had to say about them. You didnt see

anything quoted above from I Ray 1:1. Those Scriptures are in your Bibles just as

surely as they are in mine.

The church leadership in the day of our Lords ministry was corrupt! Utterly cor

rupt and evil!


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What about AFTER our Lords ministry? Were there still Pharisees and church

leaders doing the abominable things that our Lord accused them of in Matt. 23?

Even WORSE!

Shortly thereafter, there arose the GREATEST PERSECUTOR in the history of

the church. You will recognize him quicklywe already discussed his evil deeds in a

previous installment:

Paul the Pharisee

I AM a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee(Acts 23:6).

after the most straitest [very strictest] sect of our religion I

live a Pharisee(Acts 26:5).

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe

of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a

Pharisee; Concerning zeal, PERSECUTING THE CHURCH;

touching the righteousness which is in the law, BLAMELESS

(Phil. 3:5).Moffatttranslates this word blameless, immaculate.

AndAn American Translationby Goodspeed translates this verse,

and by the Laws standard of uprightness, NO FAULT

COULD BE FOUND IN ME.

Blameless Zeal

Probably not one person reading this verse in Phil. 3:5 has spotted one of the most

unbelievable statements in all Scripture! It is almost beyond comprehension! It will

blow your mind when you see it. You will think about it for days and wont be able to

fully comprehend what you have read in this verse. Talk about the deep things of

GodHold on to your hats, because we are about to make a quantum leap into one

of the deep things of God.

Paul was not bragging or exaggerating when he said that concerning the keeping

of the Law of Moses with its Ten Commandments, that he was nearing TOTAL

PERFECTION!

You must believe that that statement is true. Now then, what was one of the

ways that Paul PROVED hiszealfor God? Not just his duty. Not just what was

required of him as a keeper of the law of Moses. But what did Paul do to go WAY


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ABOVE AND BEYOND the call of duty and service to God? What did he do to show

hisZEALThe American Heritage Dictionary:zealnEnthusiastic DEVOTION to

a cause, ideal, or goal, p. 1592. What did Paul do, not to just be obedient, but to ab

solutely PROVE his devotion for God? What did he do to demonstrate this? Let Paul

tell us,

Concerning zeal PERSECUTING the CHURCH(Phil. 3:6).

Paul showed his zeal for God bypersecuting the church.But wait, theres

more.

High Priest Endorses Slaughter of Christs Church

Did Paul act on his own, or did he have CHURCH AUTHORITY to persecute the

church? He had authority:

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter

against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the HIGH PRIEST,

and desired of him LETTERS to Damascus to the synagogues,

that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or wo

men, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem(Acts 9:12).

As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the es

tate of the elders, from whom also I RECEIVED LETTERS

unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which

were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be PUNISHED(Acts

22:5).

So Paul had church authority to carry out these persecutions from the HighPriest, himself!

Here are a few of things that Paul did with regards to persecuting the church:

Paul Hated the Church of God

And Saul[Paul]was CONSENTING UNTO HIS DEATH. And at

that time there was a GREAT PERSECUTION AGAINST THE

CHURCH which was in Jerusalem; and they were ALL

scattered abroad through the regions of Judaea and Samaria,

except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his

burial and made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he


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made havock [DEVASTATION]on the church, entering into

every house, and hauling men and women committed them to

prison.

And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter

[MURDER]against the disciples of the Lord(Acts 9:1).

I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in

Ciliia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and

taught according to the PERECT MANNER OF THE LAW of

the fathers, and was ZEALOUS[and just how did Saul prove his

zealousness?]toward God, as ye all are this day. And I perse

cuted this way UNTO THE DEATH, binding and delivering

into prisons both men and women(Acts 22:23).

For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the

Jews religion, how that BEYOND MEASURE[Greek: INORDIN

ATELY]I persecuted the church of God and WASTED IT[Gk:

RAVAGED IT](Gal. 1:13).

But wait a minute. How could Paul be blameless in the law of Moses if he

hated the church of God? Because the Law of Moses permitted (even COM

MANDED) hating ones enemies, even Jesus said so, thats how! How can killing

something be showing zeal to God? Its IN THE LAW OF MOSES! Notice how

Jahu showed his zeal for the Lord:

And he[Jahu]said, Come with me, and see MY ZEAL for the

Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot. And when he cameto Samaria, he SLEW ALL THAT REMAINED UNTO AHAB in

Samaria, till he had DESTROYED HIM, according to the SAY

ING OF THE LORD, which He spake to Elijah(II Kings 10:16

17).

Is the New Covenant the Old Covenant in your Heart?

Now we are coming down to it. The church today teaches that the NEW Covenant or

testament is keeping the OLD Covenant better. Thats right. They say that the New

Covenant is keeping the OLD Covenant in your heart. That is clearly NOT what the

Scriptures say. The New Covenant is decidedly,


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NOT IN ACCORD with the[Old]covenant which I made with

their fathers(Heb. 8:9).

In that He says, A NEW covenant, He has made the first OLD.

Now that which decays and waxes OLD is ready to VANISH

AWAY(Heb. 8;12).

And many more such Scriptures.

Now we already have clearly seen that Paul kept this Old Covenant Law of

Moses contained in Ten Commandments (Deut.4:13), and he kept it BLAME

LESSLY! And so Paul may be the only person who has ever came close to keepingthe law blamelessly or perfectly. Most of Christendom would love to say that they

keep the law of Moses blamelessly! They would be sooooo proud.

The Chief of Sinners was the Perfect Law Keeper

Now then for the shocker! In I Tim. 1:15 we read this:

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation[in oth

er words, what Paul is about to say is the absolute truth and worthy of

considerable contemplation]that Christ Jesus came into the

world to save sinners, OF WHOM I AM CHIEF!!

I covered these verses in great detail in a previous installment. Paul REALLY

WAS the WORST, PREEMINENT SINNER THAT HAS EVER LIVED. Paul was

trulyCHIEF of sinners!! And we read where Paul was onceBLAMELESS in

the keeping of the law of Moses.

Now then, WHEN was Paul (1)BLAMELESS IN LAW KEEPING?And

WHEN was Paul (2)the CHIEF OF SINNERS?The answer:AT THE SAME

TIME!!!

WHEN PAUL HAD REACHED THE ZENITH OF TOTAL OBEDI

ENCE AND ZEAL TO GOD UNDER THE OLD COVENANT LAW OF

MOSES, IT CAUSED HIM AT THE SAME TIME TO BE THE

WORLDS WORST SINNER!!!

Paul was both THE MOST PERFECT LAWKEEPER AND THE

WORLDS WORST SINNER,AT THE SAME TIME!!!

NO WONDER PAUL WROTE:


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Who also makes us competent dispensers of a NEW covenant,

NOT of the letter, but OF the spirit, for the letter KILLS but

the spirit gives LIFE(II Cor. 3:6).

The Old Covenant written in Ten Commandments on stone tablets was anAD

MINISTRATION OF DEATH(Ver. 7). And the letter will ALWAYS KILL:

They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time comes,

that whosoever KILLS YOU will think that he does God service

[by following the law of Moses under the Old Covenant](John 16:2).

To prove to God his GREATEST ZEAL, Paul persecuted and slaughtered thechurch, which was legal for him to do under the authority of the High Priest, Chief

Priests, Elders and Council at the Temple in Jerusalem, of whom Jesus Himself

said,They SIT IN MOSES SEAT.And it was this very ZEAL FOR GOD that

also made him the worlds WORST SINNER! Unbelievable! UNBELIEVABLE!!UN

BELIEVABLE!!!

But we must believe itit is the Word of God!

Pharisees Always Command Keeping the Law of Moses

But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which

believed[yes, they were Christian Pharisees]saying, That it was

needful to circumcise them, and to command them to KEEP

THE LAW OF MOSES(Acts 15:5).

Did the church and the elders and disciples now under the Apostles care agree

with these Pharisees that the Gentles mustkeep the law of Moses?No, they ab solutely did not. Read chapter 15 of Acts for yourself.

Paul came OUT of the religion of the Jews COMPLETELY.

Yea doubtless, and I count ALL THINGS but loss for the excel

lency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I

have suffered the loss of ALL things, and do count them but

DUNG, that I may win Christ(Phil. 3:8).

The Christian world is teaching and striving to KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS

OF MOSES IN THEIR HEARTSThe Apostle Paul already accomplished that feat

and he called that great accomplishment of perfect commandment keeping

DUNG!


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It was at this stage of Pauls spiritual development and accomplishment that

God labeled PaulTHE CHIEF OF SINNERS.Need I say more? Does anyone

reading thishave an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to the Churches?

And so the Pharisees today are still commanding everyone, everywhere to

KEEP THE LAW OF MOSES?The Church does not understand that Jesus

Christ is the REALITY of what the Old Covenant Laws of Moses were but the shad

ow.

In a previous installment I showed you how that God converted Saul into Paul in

a giant flash of light. God took Paul from the worlds greatest lawkeeper and the

worlds greatest sinner into the reality of Jesus Christ in a matter of SECONDS!

Paul was shaken to his very foundation on that glorious day on the road to Damas cus.

Paul had to COME OUT of the mother church of which he was totally dedicated

all the days of his life. Paul was a good Jew, but he was a bad Christian.

Many things that the Church today aspires to are the very things that Paul re

pented of and called dung.

TheJews religionas Paul called it was the true Church of God that settled

in Jerusalem after coming out of Egypt and out of the Wilderness. But within ashort generation after our Lords crucifixion and resurrection, the Church of God, at

the temple in Jerusalem, came to an end. And to this day, there is no more sacrifi

cing, there is no more a temple and there is no more a Levitic Priesthood.

Ironically, in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, church is mentioned in but two

Scriptures. In Matt. 18:17 Jesus refers tothe churchand in Matt. 16:18 He

refers toMy churchwhich He said HE would build. And the seven churches in

Rev. 2 & 3 are representative of and the personification of the church that Jesus

Christ built. It was THAT church that Jesus built, that Paul the Judaic Pharisee,persecuted. Jesus prophesied that the church would be persecuted and scattered:

And Jesus said unto them, ALL YE shall be offended because

of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the Shepherd

[the Christ], and the sheep shall be SCATTERED(Mark 14:27).

The church multiplied in numbers very quickly after the Resurrection, but per

secution multiplied also:

And Saul was consenting unto his[Stephens]death. And at

that time there was a GREAT PERSECUTION against the

church which was at Jerusalem; and they were ALL

SCATTERED ABROAD throughout the regions of Judaea and


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Samaria, except the apostles(Acts 8:1).

Gods People are Still Scattered and Persecuted

Well dont think that the persecution of the Church stopped just because God con

verted Saul/Paul, the chief persecutor. It did not. Following Christ is synonymous

with persecution:

Yea, and ALL that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer

PERSECUTION(II Tim. 3:12).

Dont be deceived into thinking that this persecution will come from the world of

godless atheism.

God is creating Sons that bear His Name, have His Spirit, have the Mind of

Christ, and are the express image of our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. It is the

highest calling in the universe! Although the sacrifices are great, the rewards are

FAR GREATER!

If God is calling you to be a Son, you must come out ofMystery Babylon the

Great, mother of harlots, and the abominations of the earth.

When you see the truth of the seven churches of Revelation in our next install

ment, it may be the most troublesome truth you will ever encounter. There are few

things in this world more bizarre or shocking than the truth of the Seven Churches

of Revelation!

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The "Lake of Fire" Series Part 7

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