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Revelation Segment 2

All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. Before beginning this study, I suggest you pray and ask God to guide you through this study. I also suggest that you do you own study of this material in order to ensure its accuracy.
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John was "in the Spirit". There are two spellings for this phrase in the New Testament, they are Pneumati (Pneumati) and pneumati (pneumati). The only difference, obviously, is one begins with an upper case Pi (P), and the other a lower case pi (p). It is easy to understand the difference. Just do a few readings and compare the phrases "in the spirit " and "in the Spirit." 1.) "In the Spirit" means under the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit. 2.)"In the spirit" is transitive and requires an object, posed by the question, spirit of what? You will find the spirit of meekness, and the spirit of your mind. You will find just the words "in the spirit" with no object following. In those cases, the phrase means in the human spirit. In other words, it means in our own spirit, or our own conscious thoughts. Without sounding like I am teaching New Age philosophy, sometimes being in the spirit can be likened to an out of body experience. In Rev. 4:2, John was in the spirit. He was consciously in heaven, but his body remained on Patmos. In this verse, however, John was under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the correct rendering of the whole phrase is "I came to be in the Spirit." The verse literally reads: "I came to be in the Spirit on the of the Lord day, and I heard behind me a voice great, as of a trumpet,"

What is the Lord's day? Well, many Bible commentators and preachers will tell you that John was in the Spirit on Sunday. That may seem so in the English, but the manuscripts will not bear it out. First, there is no other witness of the words "the Lord's Day" in the scripture. When the scripture tells us that the early church met together on Sunday, it calls it the First Day of the Week in English, and not the Lord's Day. The Greek is either mia sabbaton (mia sabbaton) or proto sabbaton (proto sabbaton), both of which mean "the first of the sabbaths" (meaning the first day of the seven Sabbath weeks leading from Passover to Pentecost, or Sunday). There is one instance of mia hemera sabbaton, the first day of the sabbaths.

The Greek for the Lord's Day is te Kuriakh hmera or te Kuriake hemera, which is literally "the of the Lord day". In English that is the Day of the Lord instead of the Lord's Day. When we compare this to the Hebrew day of the Lord, like in Isaiah 2:12, we find the Hebrew words to be "the day of Yehovah". Let's look at Isaiah 2:12-21:

Some points about the above scripture: 1.) The Day of Yehovah will be upon the whole earth. 2.) Man's pride and haughtiness will be brought low. 3.) There will be a terrible earthquake felt over the entire world. 4.) People will go into holes, caves, and under rocks to get away from the glory of the LORD.

Do these points remind you of anything? Point 1 is found in Revelation 1:7. Point 2 is found in Philippians 2:10-11 and Revelation 6:14-15. Point 3 is found in Revelation 6:14. Point 4 is found in Revelation 6:15. They are all things that will happen in the Day of the LORD as described in Revelation during the seal and trumpet judgments at the end of the age. The day of the LORD is also known as the Great Day of His Wrath or the Great Tribulation of God.

Here in Revelation, the Lord's Day is not Sunday. It is the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord which comes at the end of the age just before the Return of Christ. John was transported to that day in the future by the power of the Holy Spirit. He has written us a complete record of those events and how they will take place in the future. This record shows us that God's people have nothing to fear. They will be protected through the fire just as were Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego (Daniel Chapter 3). No, they will not be "raptured out" just before this tribulation as some traditions teach. See my teaching on the Rapture.

(Rev 1:11) Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

We already saw where He said He is the Alpha and Omega. Here is where He also told John to write the Book of Revelation.

The seven churches were real churches and they received the Book of Revelation from John. They are also given as ensamples or examples for our guidance in this flesh. See 1 Corinthians 10:11. They represent the different types of churches around today and those that have been around through Christian history. We will discuss each church as we study them in succession.

The candlesticks represent the seven churches as we will find out in v. 20.

(Rev 1:13-15) And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps [breast] with a golden girdle. {14} His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; {15} And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.

Let's look at the picture of Almighty God in Ezekiel 1:7:

Amber is the translation of chashmal, which means a highly polished metal bronze, brass, or any other spectrum metal like gold. In Ezekiel's vision, the LORD is clothed in gold from the waist up and from the waist down He was like burning fire. Note the almost exact resemblance to the vision of John in Revelation.

In Revelation 14, the white and bright appearance of His hair, head and eyes is the shekina glory of God. In 15, his voice is like the roar of the sea.

The stars are the angels of the seven churches as we will see in v. 20. The two edged sword from His mouth is the Word of God which is "quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb 4:12).

His face like the shining sun is the shekina glory.

(Rev 1:17-18) And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: {18} I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

I remember a Bible Study by a well-known preacher back in the eighties. He was discussing people who say they have spoke directly to Jesus Christ. He mentioned one man who said that Jesus came to his bathroom every morning while he was shaving and spoke to him. The preacher (you would recognize his name if I wrote it here), attempting to show the foolishness of such a statement, said that if Jesus came into his bathroom, he would fall face down on the floor. That is exactly what John did, and I dare say that you and I would have the same reaction.

Note that Jesus touched John and said "Fear not." In Daniel 10:10-12, Gabriel touched Daniel and told him to fear not. At the tomb, in Matthew 28, the angel said "Fear not". It seems like we humans are frightened in the presence of the supernatural.

Hell is actually Hades in the Greek. Hades is the holding place of the dead. Jesus has the keys to death and the place of the dead. He will unlock Hades and death and give eternal life to those whose names are written in the Book of Life.

(Rev 1:19) Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;

He is to write what he sees at the time where he is (the Day of the Lord), and that which will happen afterward, that is after the Day of the Lord--the millenium, and the coming of the new Heaven and Earth.

(Rev 1:20) The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

This is an example of the Bible explaining itself.

(Rev 2:1) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;

We know quite a bit about Ephesus. The temple of Diana was there. Diana was the Asian goddess of fertility. This is not completely the Roman goddess Diana (Artemis in Greek Mythology) who was the goddess of the hunt. The Roman Diana was named later. The Roman Diana is the equivalent of the Greek Artemis. Diana of the Ephesians was also later known as Artemis. Diana of the Ephesians was the same old tired fertility goddess AKA Sumerimus or Isis or Ishtar or Ashtoreth or Venus, etc. In the Roman province of Asia she was known as Diana. The statue in the Temple of Diana was a many-breasted combination of Artemis and Ashtoreth. Diana of the Ephesians was the nursing mother goddess of gods, men, and animals. You can imagine the fertility rites that went on at Ephesus.

Ephesus was famous as the home of the temple of Diana. Ephesus was a seaport located on the crossroads of the Roman Empire in the province of Asia. It was a major religious, political and commercial center. It was a metropolitan area with a population of up to 340,000, depending on which historian you quote. The atmosphere of the city would have been worldly and cosmopolitan. Christianity would have been frowned upon because Christians worshipped only one God, the One True God, Yehovah. Ephesus was intensely polytheistic and the thought that only one God was supreme was alien to the Ephesians. The church at Ephesus would have had an uphill battle to proselytize the people of Ephesus.

To read about the beginning of the church at Ephesus, read Acts 18-20.

(Rev 2:2-3) I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: {3} And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

At Ephesus, there were many who were opposed to the church (Acts 19:23-35). The Church had good works, and they were cheerfully patient. Paul had warned them that there would be false apostles (Acts 20:29-30). They had heeded the warning and diligently tried them.

(Rev 2:4-5) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. {5} Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

They had left Jesus, the Word of God and turned to their traditions. Jesus allows them the opportunity to repent from their sins.

(Rev 2:6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate.

We know nothing about the Nicolaitanes but what is said about them here in Revelation. The word means "Followers of Nicolas." Who Nicolas was is unknown. Tradition has quite a bit to say about them, but we will avoid traditions here.

What does God hate more than anything? Idolatry is the number one complaint of God about His people throughout the Bible. I think we may safely assume that the Nicolaitanes were people who attempted to come into the church and teach idolatry. Evidently the Church did not allow them license. The Nicolaitanes probably practiced fertility rites (like grove worship, orgies, etc.) which are an abomination to God.

(Rev 2:7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

If you have a spiritual ear, you will discern what the Spirit says to the churches. What must we overcome? The Bible tells us to overcome several things: evil with good (Rom 12:21), the corruption of the world (2 Pet 2:19-20), the wicked one (1 John 2:13-14), and spirits that do not confess Jesus Christ (1 John 4:4). Jesus has overcome the world, and only through Him may we overcome anything. So that if we are faithful to Jesus, then we will overcome. We will receive eternal life and will eat from the Tree of Life, which is Jesus Christ.

The church at Ephesus had lost their first love, that is the love of Jesus Christ. They had graduated into traditions and things not related to Jesus. Many churches today are in this same mode. They have given up the true Word of God for their traditions, like the rapture. They have their programs, their socials, their training sessions, and their traditions, but have gotten away from teaching the Word of God. Many just teach salvation to their flocks who have been saved for many years. They only give spiritual milk and not spiritual meat. If your church is like this, repent and return to your first love, the true Word of God.

What two churches out of the seven were found by Jesus to have no faults? Find out in the next segment.

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