Continuing on in the absolutely awesome book of Revelation. Which means to reveal/uncover/unveil the end-times truth for us. The importance of this study cannot be measured. What you will also notice as we go on Christ always uses the OT in lessons supposed to be learn(ed).
Thank you for taking a look†
(Revelation 2:12-17) "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
(Onto the third Church/Candlestick here. Christ does not approve of this Church. By what they teach and their actions. By what they teach also the lack thereof what they teach. Christ only approves of Smyrna of Philadelphia. As we have been over extensively and will continue to as well).
(The two edged-sword from Christ mouth, which is the Word of God. The sword of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Christ giving us that here because if one's actions (works/production for the LORD) there forth do not follow, teach, know, and understand that as of Smyrna/Philly it's time to separate truth from lie, light from darkness, fact from fictions, positive from negative, life from death. Rightly dividing the Word of truth).
13I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
(Now remember, we're dealing with the content here of the end-times Churches as the Apostle John is on the LORD'S DAY right now. Which is the Millennium. Taken to the future to give us the events. Once again, logically so, to get a vision of what has happened from the LORD you have to go where it has taken place to be shown it).
(Continuing on, like the other 5 Churches Christ approves of, they are doing some good things. But not enough).
Who is this antipas? This takes us where we know it's present day as is seen in all the other Churches where you cannot be mistaken as well. satan showing up claiming to be Christ/God. II Thessalonians 2, specific verse 4.
Now a verse that trips many up:
The mistake here made by many is not doing a word study. Anti from the Greek means instead of/in place of, not as the English which means opposite. pas from the Greek is pater, meaning father. Therefore, properly rendered anti-father. satan's seat and where he dwells is of course Jerusalem, hence "even" where satan's seat is. Coming to claim that he is God in the temple of God, showing he himself that he is God. That is to say in his body in the flesh to claim to be Christ/God. The alpha and omega he claims. This is why Christ extensively tells us this as satan comes to claim to be all. I happen to like Omega 3's, 3 symbolic for the true resurrection and the life that is Christ. Okay, a little joke in there as well.
As it is satan is himself in the evil godhead. antipas is satan's role as the false prophet there at the 6th vial. The evil godhead = satan (dragon), the beast, the false prophet. That must be fixed good to understand the book of Revelation. He (satan), is himself also at the end of the Millennium where he tests them again. All this in Revelation 20. Look me up.
14But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
(They are mixing in idolatry claiming Christ. Playing "hokey pokey." Fornication, this is spiritual mixing. Balaam would be preaching the "prosperity" Gospel today for money. What he was, he would not do anything if money were not involved. Can we just say Jesus? Or is Doctrine important? You see the wrong doctrine gives you the wrong Jesus leading straight to satan, as the fake Jesus he is coming as).
Stumbling block from the Greek is scandalon where have our English word scandal. To lay a trap, a snare, and them not knowing. Therefore, we can certainly say with this false prosperity doctrine with a begging bag. They are laying out the cheese (money) hidden from plain view and many of them are "cheesing" while doing it. Smile on their face taking you to the cleaners. Not the right cleansing there.
15So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Not done yet. This is getting even uglier.
(The Nicolatians did ball worship. Here is that idolatry. baal worship pretty much worshiped anything under the sun without putting God first. baal began as a weather god on account of agriculture around the time of Abraham. Of course, all sins come after idolatry. Then fertility and the worship comes next. No surprise there as it flourished near the coasts of Cana beginning near Phoenicia. Of course, weather worship in correlation with agriculture come and would come on account of famine. If they got what they wanted they would see it as weather gods approving of them. But by this time of course sex, fornication, orgies took top billing. But it was every evil practice).
(Who else worshiped baal and persecuted God's people, such as Elijah? You got it, Ahab and Jezebel. This is important as we go into the the other churches where jezebel is named and her actions, how she operates, what she is doing with her life).
To put it quite simply now: Money and getting their food, they are "dying" high of the hog here! The things they are putting first.
16Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Repent = Not to be saved again here. But a deep sorry and remorse to the Lord and then people in that order. People for not treating them the way the Lord says. I will come to the quickly means here in the same concept as the wicked servants per Luke 21. It can be taken away at anytime. God gives you something you turn your back you are in for one world of hurt!
(When? Revelation 19 once again, when Christ comes to make war against His enemies).
NOW CHECK THIS OUT!
(Revelation 19:11) "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."
(Revelation 19:15) “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
(Why was satan called faithful martyr up above? How can that be so? He is carrying out God's plan! God is telling us HE is in control! As HE agreed to allow this! Christ is making the point HE IS THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE ONE, THE TRUE CHRIST, and the sword reference HE come with once again.
Make no mistake about it. All throughout the Bible and in context here God calls and uses evil to show us who is in control. Martyr here is used in the sense of a spectator as in a contest. Remember as well. satan is Jerusalem in the arena there in Revelation 11. Amazing? I know so!
satan is a pawn.
17He 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 hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
(Overcome satan and the beast, the mark of the beast).
Now check this out! White always symbolic for purity. Why the stone reference? For overcoming satan and the mark of the beast. As to calculate the mark of the beast is to count a smooth stone worn over time. satan, is the false rock of course. Which began in the garden of Eden per Ezekiel 28:12-13. satan in the role of king of tyrus there. Meaning a rock. And of course, why satan always uses the stone reference. This is why Christ is using the hidden manna reference. Taking us back where satan tempted Christ to turn the stones to bread, being the breadwinner, bread king to the poor. Which of course, had Christ done it we could not have had salvation, eternal life, even know how to live. What to do with the physical, not knowing the Holy Spiritual first!
Of course, this is what satan does: to come to fulfill all the flesh wants then needs! Everything without repenting of sins, but fulfilling the selfishness of the flesh through lusts of it. Here of course, the false financial promises. Essentially, satan and everyone wants to change the world without changing/turning in repentance themselves!
Here is the song of Moses reference to satan as the false rock as well. The song of Moses for those to be song who overcome satan and the beast!
(Deuteronomy 32:29-31) “O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!
30How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?
31For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.”
Here you have it:
(Revelation 15:2-3) “And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.
3And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”
We'll conclude this study here. I hope you got a ton out of it.
Amen†
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