In His letter to the church at Thyatira Jesus had several positive things to say to and about some of the people because they had obeyed Him in a number of areas. However, He had several things against them. Note that He does not overlook the negatives because of the positives. As He makes clear, there are to be NO NEGATIVES in us because there were no negatives in Him, who is our example. The Apostle John makes it clear that, if we call ourselves Christ’s brethren we must “walk (live) even as He walked” (1 Jn. 2:6). The Thyatirans were in trouble with the Lord because they were allowing a woman named Jezebel to remain in the church even though she was sexually seducing some of the men and leading them to eat things sacrificed to idols. Jesus had given her the opportunity to repent but she would not. In verse 22 He says that He will make her and her lovers’ lives miserable unless they repent, which always involves a reversal in spiritual direction. Christ said He would also kill her children. This would be a sign that He knows all things about all people.

In verse 23 He tells the entire church that they will each receive what their deeds call for. Then in verses 24-29 He tells His obedient saints in the church to HOLD FAST (TIGHTLY) TO THE RIGHTEOUSNESS THEY HAVE EARNED BY DOING HIS WORKS AND TO DO SO UNTIL THE END (vss 25,26). Question: why did they need to hold on tightly to what they had? Could they lose their future reward (salvation) by sinning? Billions of salvation seekers have followed Satan’s false prophets into his religious system and have remained there until their deaths, “knowing” that they would wake up in heaven. Others, having initially embraced the Lord, have then allowed themselves to be lead astray, thereby costing them everything God had promised them in His Word. This is the message proclaimed in the parable of the ten virgins as written in Matthew 25:1-13.

Jesus told the members of the Sardis church that they had a reputation for being spiritually alive, but that they were in fact spiritually dead. The so-called Mega Churches are present day examples of this condition. He tells them to strengthen what few good things they are doing. Note that He expects the church’s works to be PERFECT (3:2). He told them to hold fast to what was good and to repent of the sins they had committed. In verse four He tells them that there are only a FEW obedient saints in the church, and that (ONLY) THEY were worthy to walk with Him in white robes. Read Matthew 7:13,14.

In verse five Jesus makes a statement that should grab the attention of all church people. He says that those IN THE CHURCH who overcome Satan WILL NOT HAVE THEIR NAMES BLOTTED OUT OF THE BOOK OF LIFE WHERE THEY WERE RECORDED UPON THEIR CONVERSION. This means that those who continue to sin after being justified will have their names blotted out of the Lord’s Book of Life. Where does this leave so-called Sinners Saved By Grace? Read The Recrucifixion Of Jesus Christ. Key word–Recrucifixion.

To the church at Philadelphia, which is the era of my generation, the Lord had only good things to say. Though they are today few in number (a few thousand world-wide), He has only praise for them because they have obeyed His Word and have not denied His name (power). He promises to keep them out of the Great Tribulation that is soon to come on the earth. Those who CONTINUE TO OVERCOME will become pillars in the temple of God and citizens of New Jerusalem which will come down from heaven and be relocated to where Old Jerusalem now sits. They will have Christ’s new name written on their foreheads.

The Philadelphia era began in the mid-1930’s and ended in the mid-1980’s when the final church era began. We of the Philadelphia era maintain our standing with God as the Laodicean era flees from God as fast as possible. We Philadelphians comprise the “remnant” of true believers who have continued to believe and obey God while the Laodicean era was coming on the scene. Today we continue to serve God the dominant Laodiceans fall ever deeper into Satan’s religious trap.

In His letter to the Laodicean church Jesus has absolutely nothing positive to say to or about them. He tells them that they believe that they are spiritually rich because they have everything they need and lack for nothing. Instead, they are spiritually “wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.” He commands them to REPENT. He stands at the door of their individual hearts and knocks (calls out). If the person HEARS HIS VOICE AND INVITES HIM IN He will deal with him/her. Verse 21 indicates that the Laodiceans have the opportunity to repent and overcome Satan. Even the vile, sin-soaked modern church has the opportunity to be converted, turn from her wicked ways and embrace the way/Word of God. He who has an ear let him hear what God is saying to the modern day church.

In First Peter 1:15,16; 2:5,9 the apostle tells us that we must be holy because God is holy, that we are to be a holy house, a holy priesthood, a peculiar people whose lives reflect the life of Jesus Christ. In 4:17,18 Peter tells us that judgment has begun in the church, and that only the righteous in the church will be saved, and they just barely. He laments over the fate of those in the church who do not live in righteousness which is required in order to qualify for eternal life upon Christ’s return. In Romans 5:21 and 6:22 the Apostle Paul tells us that ONLY RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HOLINESS WILL RESULT IN SALVATION. John tells us in First John 3:1-10 that religious business as usual is an abomination to God. Read that passage for a true description of the Christian life.

And yet the salvation hustlers tell billions of people every Satan’s Sunday Sabbath that all they need to do is believe and take Jesus into their hearts as their Savior. For this reason God commands us to get away from them and stay away. THEN AND ONLY THEN WILL WE BE HIS CHILDREN AND HE WILL BE OUR LORD. Read 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1, believe what you read and obey it. L.J.