Category Archives: The KING is Coming — Study of Revelation

“Kept Through the Trial: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Philadelphia” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re back in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming, where we’re taking a verse-by-verse approach to see what the book truly reveals—Jesus Christ Himself. As always, I’m joined by Jamie Harrison, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk through this study together. Today, we’ll be looking at another of Jesus’s letters to the churches, this time turning to the church in Philadelphia. This week’s passage is Revelation 3:7–13:

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.8 “ ‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’[1]

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3jmFoqZKEX3Uxr90Bd1q8T?si=c6iEuIjESoqS7zdb3Eyjfw

Keith Harris:     
Greetings, Sojourners,
We’re excited to dive into this letter today. How excited are we?

Jamie Harrison:
I am almost as excited as you are. Almost. Almost.

Keith:                  
Too many cups of coffee.

Jamie:                 
Too many cups of coffee — and that’s T-W-O, actually number three. I had one before I got here. This is not good.

Keith:                  
Well, I’m glad you’re excited. Since you’re excited, why don’t you filter that excitement into Revelation 3 — the letter to Philadelphia.            

Jamie:                 
This letter — this letter is… it’s a little deep. It’s a little controversial. There’s one particular verse in here that’s the only one I ever hear quoted when people say Jesus is going to come back before the tribulation. It’s always this one.

But I want to say up front — Keith and I have made very clear from the get-go that these kinds of controversial things are not our focus. Our focus is: What does the Bible say about Jesus?

Keith:                  
And we’ve said this at least once every episode. We don’t have the answers to all the popular questions. We’re not seeking to. What we try to do is what I would call good, practical, healthy Bible interpretation — where the clear things are important and the important things are clear. And that which is less clear? That’s above our pay grade. So we’re going to tell you — to the best of our ability — what the Bible says, and do what Nehemiah 8:8 says:

“They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”

That’s what we’re going for — to point people to Jesus. And if something cannot be known, we’ll tell you that. And then we’ll move on.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. Amen. Let’s go.

So as we get started here, remember the letters are all set up kind of in the same order, for the most part. And here we start off again with our salutation: “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia…” — referring to the pastor of said church. And then Jesus is going to jump straight in and give some attributes about Himself. And He says: “The words of the Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens.” (CSB) So He gives quite a few things about Himself here. And just to briefly dive into each one a little bit: First off, He describes Himself as the Holy One. Please understand — this is Jesus declaring that He is God. Don’t ever be confused about that. Some people will say, “Well, Jesus never said He was God.” Well, first off — He did. And second — here’s one example. When He says He is the Holy One, He is declaring that He has full authority as a member of the Godhead. He is God — and that is exponentially important to understand. Jesus has the same authority that God the Father and God the Holy Spirit do.

Keith:                  
Because we’re not talking about three gods. We’re talking about three persons of the One God. Because it says the Holy One, the True One, clarifying that while Jesus is a member of the Trinity — which is just a word we use to describe this multifaceted God — He is one God, and His name is Jesus.   

Jamie:                 
And so He goes from there — He says the Holy One, the True One, like Keith said. Now, the city of Philadelphia — not Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, because that didn’t exist yet.

Keith:                  
That’s accurate.

Jamie:                 
Coincidentally, this city was actually destroyed [once] by an earthquake — but we digress. Philadelphia was called “the Gateway to the East.” They were situated on a main route of the imperial post from Rome to the East. So it was a very important city in terms of traffic — people passing through, mail being delivered — things like that. But along this route, because there were so many travelers, there were also many, many temples to other gods.

Keith:                  
Which was very common — not just in the Roman Empire, but especially in the Roman Empire. They wanted to keep people happy, keep people placated. And one way to do that — especially if you’re trying to gather a lot of people together — is to make it easy for them. So you think about cities today that have mosques and temples and synagogues and churches and this and that. It’s along the same vein — gather the people in, get them for your purpose. And, I mean, that’s what gathers them.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. And so Jesus here — when He says the True One — understand: He’s not fake. He’s not man-made. He’s not a copy. He is God. He’s saying, “I’m not like all these other false gods and temples you see along the way. I am God.” Revelation 6:10 refers to Jesus as the One who is holy and true.
In other words — again — He is God. So He is making an emphasis here, so that the church in Philadelphia understands: this is who is speaking.

Keith:                  
And I think it’s 1 John 5:20 that says — specifically about Jesus —

“He is the true God, and eternal life.” (ESV)

So this is consistent — same author as Revelation, by the way. The same John who wrote Revelation also wrote 1 John. So the message is consistent: Jesus is God.

Jamie:                 
So then the third attribute He gives here is: “The One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens.” (CSB) I just want to briefly hit on this. If you look back at Isaiah 22:15–25, you’ll see kind of where this idea — the “key of David” — comes from. And the story that happens in Isaiah 22 is this: Assyria invades Judah, and the Jewish leaders — instead of calling on God to defend them — they call on Egypt to defend them. And one of those leaders was named Shebna… Shebna? Shebna? However you want to say it.

Keith:                  
Just say it fast.

Jamie:                 
Say it fast. Nobody knows.

Keith:                  
Confidence. That’s the key.

Jamie:                 
That’s right — confidence.

So Shebna used his office for personal gain, and so God removes him and puts Eliakim in his place. And gives him the keys of authority — these “keys of David.” Whoever this steward is has control over the distribution of resources. So again, Shebna uses it for personal gain. Eliakim comes in — he’s a very good man, according to the Bible. But even though he’s a good man, we’re told in the story that he will give way — that his shelf will be removed, so to speak — because he’s still just a man, and he’s not able. He’s not able to do what Jesus can.

So when he’s removed, the keys are going to be given to Jesus. Only Jesus can be trusted with our lives. He is the heir to the throne of David. So when He says, “The One who has the key of David,” that’s what He’s referring to. He is, so to speak, over the house. He is the treasurer. He’s in charge of the distribution of resources. In other words — He’s the man, okay? I think that’s the best way to say it. He has the key.

So if you ever hear anybody else say that they have the key of David — they are a liar.

Keith:                  
And in a very real sense — an antichrist. Not the Antichrist, but an antichrist. If the Bible says this is what Jesus has — and they’re not Jesus, or Eliakim from centuries ago — then they’re lying. And they’re dangerous.

Jamie:                 
Very, very dangerous. And I do encourage — as we go through this study — look in the Word. Don’t take our word for it. We’re big on that when we’re teaching or preaching in church. Our pastor, Big John, is always like, “Man, go back to the Word. Don’t just take my word for it — go to the Word.” So again, that was Isaiah 22:15–25 — check it out, read it for yourself.

Keith:                  
Specifically verse 22 is where that key reference is — that Jesus is pretty much quoting word for word.

Jamie:                 
Absolutely.

So what does Jesus do with these keys of David? Well, it tells us: “The One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and who closes and no one opens.” (CSB) Well, what is He opening and closing? You can look straight to the Bible on this — because again, the Bible is going to tell us what the Bible means. And if you look in Acts 14:27, 1 Corinthians 16:9, 2 Corinthians 2:12, Colossians 4:3–4 — and there are others — but if you look at those, all of them refer to a door being opened for ministry, for the gospel to be spread. So Jesus has the authority — as a full member of the Godhead — to close and open doors. And what doors is He closing and opening? They’re doors to ministry, the spread of the gospel, for you to go and do the works you’ve been placed here to do. Paul talks about this in a couple of his letters — Keith, help me with the exact one — but he wanted to go to a particular country to the East and wasn’t allowed to go.

Keith:                  
Yeah, and at one point in time, he was planning on going to Spain — and we know he didn’t make it there.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. Wanted to go to Rome, but wasn’t allowed to go at that time because the Holy Spirit closed that door. And so that’s the idea we’re looking at here.

So Jesus, once again, is explaining — in three different ways — “I’m part of the Godhead, and I’ve got all authority.” And then He goes on from there and says: “I know your works. Look, I’ve placed before you an open door that no one can close, because you have but little power, yet you’ve kept My Word and have not denied My name.” (CSB) So — you have but little power. He’s opening these doors not because they have wealth, not because they’re a large congregation, not because they have some qualification like X, Y, Z — He opens the door of ministry because of their faith.

Keith:                  
It’s a clear contrast here to [Jesus’s last] letter. If you look back at Matthew 7, Jesus says, “You said you did this in My name, and that in My name — we raised the dead, we prophesied…” And Jesus says, “But I don’t know who you are.” Here, Jesus is saying, “I do know who you are. And I’ve picked you — not because you’re strong in and of yourself — but because I’ve given you a ministry that no one is going to be able to stop.” The contrast is the strength of Jesus that He gives to those He has saved — those He has made alive. That’s what it takes for ministry. It’s not based on your gifting or your ability or your works — because the world will tell you (and a lot of times, even religion will tell you): “Do this, and you earn that.” But Jesus is saying: “You get this because I am this. I used My key. I unlocked the door. They can’t shut it.”

Jamie:                 
That’s right. That’s a huge deal. Very much so.

So He says: “You’ve kept My Word, you’ve not denied My name. Note this: I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.” (CSB) So first — you’ve kept My Word and not denied My name. In other words, they’ve survived persecution. They’ve survived trials. These people are stepping out in faith. They’re doing the things the Lord told them to do. They’ve kept His Word. They’ve survived persecution. They’ve survived trials.

Keith:                  
Which, in contrast, obviously means there are some who — because of the persecution and the trials — denied His name. They just walked away from Him. That was a common practice — not just back in ancient times, but even now. If you’re living in a country that is hostile to the gospel, they will absolutely give you the opportunity to renounce that belief — to say, “No, just kidding. Jesus isn’t my Lord. Allah is,” or “Caesar is,” or whoever. And these people — in the midst of that, having the opportunity — said: “No. Jesus. Period.”

Jamie:                 
That’s right. Period. So with this next verse — verse 9 — talking about the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying — you can jump back to Revelation 2:9–10 and you get the same kind of idea. They are Jews outwardly, but not inwardly, so to speak. In other words, they’re not who Jesus would want them to be — who God would want them to be. They’re being led by Satan to persecute these believers. Now, if you’re a Jew reading this letter back during this time, you might say, “Are you trying to say I’m part of the synagogue of Satan?” Well — if you’re doing Satan’s work, then that’s what you are.

Keith:                  
It says what it says.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. And He says: “I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.” (CSB) You can also look at Philippians 2:5–11 and Revelation 5:11–13 for similar language.

And then He says: “Because you have kept My command to endure, I will also keep you from the hour of testing that is going to come on the whole world, to test those who live on the earth.” (CSB) Then verse 11: “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown.” (CSB) And here’s that verse I mentioned earlier — the one that some people quote when they say Jesus is going to come back before the tribulation. It’s this phrase: “I will keep you from the hour of testing…” Now — when you read that, you might assume that it means He’s going to remove you from the trial, that He’ll take you off the face of the earth and move you to heaven before the trial starts. So I think we have to look at that word “keep.” What does it mean? Is Jesus saying, “I’ll take you out of the Great Tribulation”?

Now, mind you — He’s just commended them. There’s no admonition in this letter, no rebuke. It’s all praise. He just told them, “Great job working through persecution. Great job working through trials.” In other words, as Christians — we’re going to go through these things. The Bible’s clear about that. So again, what does the word “keep” mean? This particular Greek word — and Keith, you can pronounce it better than I can…

Keith:                  
I believe it’s tēreō.

Jamie:                 
Sounds great. We’ll go with that. It means: “To cause to continue, to guard, to watch over, to protect.”

So let’s read that verse with each of those meanings plugged in. “I will also cause you to continue from the hour of testing.” “I will guard you from the hour of testing.” “I will watch over you from the hour of testing.” “I will protect you from the hour of testing.” So when you read it that way, it doesn’t sound like you’re being removed. It sounds like you’re being protected through the hour of testing.

So let’s look back at a couple of places where that same word — keep — is used. First, let’s go to John 15:20–21. This is where Jesus is speaking to His disciples. He says: “Remember the word I spoke to you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours.” (CSB) There’s that same word — keep. Verse 21: “But they will do all these things to you on account of My name, because they don’t know the One who sent Me.” (CSB) So these two verses say that we’re going to go through persecution — it’s going to happen.

Now jump to John 17:6–19. This is where Jesus is praying for His disciples. And I think it’s important to read this whole section: “I have revealed Your name to the people You gave Me from the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything You have given Me is from You, because I have given them the words You gave Me. They have received them and have known for certain that I came from You. They have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I’m not praying for the world but for those You have given Me, because they are Yours. Everything I have is Yours, and everything You have is Mine, and I am glorified in them. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name that You have given Me, so that they may be one as We are one. While I was with them, I was protecting them by Your name that You have given Me. I guarded them, and not one of them is lost except the son of destruction…” (CSB)

Keith:                  
— referring to Judas.

Jamie:                 
Right — “so that the Scripture may be fulfilled.” Then He says: “Now I am coming to You, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have My joy completed in them. I have given them Your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I am not praying that You take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one.” (CSB)

Keith:                  
That word protect — same word again: tēreō. That’s the word we’re looking at.

Jamie:                 
Exactly. He says: “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify Myself for them, so that they also may be sanctified by the truth.” (CSB) Now, one of the keys to studying the Bible is knowing that the Bible is going to confirm what the Bible says. And if it doesn’t, then it’s probably one of those things that we’re not supposed to know about.

Keith:                  
And when something is only mentioned vaguely, or only mentioned in one place — it depends on how it’s used, whether or not we can be clear about it.

Jamie:                 
Right. So here in Revelation, Jesus says He will “keep” them from the hour of testing. And in John 17, He uses the same word — and He literally says: “I’m not praying that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.” In other words, while they’re going through the tribulation of the world — the persecution — He is protecting them through it, not removing them from it.

Keith:                  
And we’ve been looking at that word keep as a verb — but the noun form of it literally means something like a warden or a guard. It’s related to how we use the phrase “keep an eye on.” And “keep an eye on” doesn’t necessarily mean you rescue someone from everything — it means you make sure they can make it through. If you’re keeping an eye on your kids, you don’t necessarily mow everything down in front of them — even if you want to.

Part of that is them learning how to navigate things, knowing you’re there. As kids grow into adulthood, they’ve got to be able to do things on their own. So, like, if I’m keeping an eye on my kids while they’re cooking, I can’t run over every time they touch the stove knob and slap their hand away. They know I’ve got them — but they’re still learning. And that’s the idea behind this word keep.

Jamie:                 
So I think to kind of finish this out — if you’re still with us (and hopefully you didn’t click off because you disagree with what we just said) — I want to say this: Is Jesus coming back before the Tribulation? Is He coming back halfway through? Is He coming at the end? The answer is: I don’t know. I’m not Him. And He told us that no one knows — only the Father.

Keith:                  
One thing we can definitively say is that He’s not coming back before any tribulation — because we know from the book of Acts, the church has already been going through tribulation. And I think about 1 Peter 5:8–9 — where Peter’s writing to believers who are going through trials and tribulations. He talks about their adversary, the devil, prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour and destroy. And he says: “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” (ESV)

I hear people in the church today talk about, “Well, what are we going to do when persecution sets in?” If you’re living a godly life in the middle of a secular world, you’ve probably experienced it on some level. But all around the world today — and for the last 2,000 years — there are Christians who’ve faced the choice: “Will you renounce Christ and live, or remain faithful and die?” So we can definitively say — whether or not He comes back before the Great Tribulation — there’s already great tribulation happening in a lot of places.

Jamie:                 
A lot of places. Here in America, we’re kind of shielded from that — or spoiled. That’s a better word.

Keith:                  
Spoiled. Good word.

Jamie:                 
So again — the answer is: We don’t know. Sure, I’m rooting for a pre-tribulation return…, but I also have to look at it objectively and say: If believers at the beginning of the church suffered immense persecution… We could talk all day about the torture techniques used on them. Some of it would blow your mind — might even make you puke. The early church suffered.

Keith:                  
And I love how Shane Viner put it when we discussed this a while back. He said, “I want more than anything for the pre-trib view to be right… but it sure is good news to know that if it’s not — He’s got us.” That’s it. That’s such a beautiful sentiment. Do we want Jesus to come and rescue us beforehand? Absolutely. But we can also look at those who are suffering now around the world and say — “He’s still got them. And He’ll still have us — no matter what the world throws our way.” I’ve heard someone say, “The world’s greatest threat — death — brings the Christian’s greatest reward.”

Jamie:                 
So Jesus goes on from there and says again: “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one takes your crown. The one who conquers, I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never go out again. I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God — the New Jerusalem — which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” (CSB) So here we go — “the one who conquers.” Again, 1 John 5:4–5 tells us the one who conquers is the one who is saved. He says, “I’ll make him a pillar in the temple of My God.” Now, I think it’s interesting — in Philadelphia, they were constantly scared of earthquakes. They were constantly having to evacuate the city. And we mentioned at the beginning that it was actually destroyed by an earthquake in 17 BC. So this language would’ve hit home — when Jesus talks about a pillar. A pillar holds a building up. They had seen buildings collapse — often. So this is personal.

Keith:                  
And ideally, the pillar stays.        

Jamie:                 
That’s right. So here Jesus says: “I’ll make you a pillar in the temple of My God.” In other words — this temple will never be destroyed. You will be there forever. And of course, we know this temple isn’t a literal building. Revelation 21:22 tells us that there is no temple in heaven — because Jesus Himself is the temple. We also know that the believers bear His name (Galatians 2:9). He says: “I’ll give you the name of My God, the name of the city of My God — the New Jerusalem — and My new name.” (CSB) Ezekiel 48:35 says the New Jerusalem means: “The LORD is there.” And that’s exactly what we have here in Revelation. The Lord is there. There’s no sun, because He is the light. There’s no temple, because He is the temple. And we will be there forever with Him. Now as far as where it says He’ll write on us His name and His new name — Some people say, “Well, what is that name?” I don’t know. Because He didn’t tell us.

Keith:                  
And if He doesn’t tell us, we’re not supposed to know.

Jamie:                 
That’s right. I can give you a few other verses in Revelation that mention His new name — that’s Revelation 2:17, 3:12, 19:12, and 22:4. Check those out. But again — it doesn’t say what the name is. Who knows? But I know it’s going to be pretty cool — because it comes from Him.

Keith:                  
It’s one of those things like — have you ever tried to explain something to someone, and finally just said, “You had to be there”? Well, this is going to be one of those things. You have to be there — with Him — to know. And that’s good. Because again — we’re talking about a Savior who keeps us through persecution, who gives us perseverance. If we are His, we will be with Him forever. So we don’t have to know everything right now. We can have assurance in this: We know Him. And He knows us.

Jamie:                 
And of course, the last verse: “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” (CSB) Or maybe it says, “has ears.” I don’t know. That’s horrible. There’s some guy in the world without ears right now who’s reading the transcript going, “I don’t think that’s very funny.” Yeah, I apologize to you, sir.

Keith:                  
Most of what comes out in these podcasts starts as writing, but this — oddly enough — is meant to be heard. These conversations — while we joke — the idea here is: Don’t just hear what we said. Hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Not just these churches in Revelation — but to your church as well. If you’re saved, you should be part of a local church. And this letter is written to yours, too. Are you going to be like the churches that Jesus rebuked for their works? Or like the ones who had no works at all?
Or are you going to be like this church — where Jesus says: “I know that you have little power — but I’ve given you work to do, and you’ve done it.” This letter is meant to apply to your life. Before Jesus gave any of the future stuff in Revelation, He gave these letters — to deal with the now. So… are you part of the synagogue of Satan? Are you claiming to be part of God’s people, but lying? Or are you bowing at His feet, knowing full well that He loves you — and because He loved you, you love Him? With this letter to the church at Philadelphia — dear Sojourner, this is our plea: Seek to apply this. Do you belong to God?

Has He saved you? Have you confessed Him as Lord, and believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? Because if you haven’t — You’ve got nothing to hold fast to. If you haven’t — There’s no amount of works, no amount of Bible reading, no obsession with prophecy that can save you. Jesus is the True One. And if He has opened the door to you — no one can shut it. That’s good news.

Alright. We have thoroughly enjoyed this. Jamie, thank you for being here.

Jamie:                 
Oh, thank you.

Keith:                  
We’ll see y’all next week with the last of the letters — the letter to the church in Laodicea.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Re 3:7–13.

“Strengthen What Remains: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Sardis” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming, where we’re taking a verse-by-verse approach to see what the book truly reveals—Jesus Christ Himself. As always, I’m joined by Jamie Harrison, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to walk through this study together. Today, we’ll be looking at another of Jesus’s letters to the churches, this time turning to the church in Sardis. This week’s passage is Revelation 3:1–6:

1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.
“ ‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. 4 Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’[1]

Keith Harris:      
Greetings, Sojourners,

Jamie, are you ready to dive into our study of the letter to the church at Sardis?

Jamie Harrison:
Man, I’m ready. Are you ready?

Keith:                   
I don’t think I could be any more ready than I am right now. Not at all. I’m full go, full tilt…. I praise the Lord. I was reborn ready…. So, as we go through this, we’ll give a little bit of witty banter.

Jamie:                  
You’re not going to think it’s funny, but we do.

Keith:                   
And that’s because we’re dads.

Jamie:                  
We are.

Keith:                   
And that’s what we bring to the table. We can study the Bible and make dad jokes.          

Jamie:                  
That’s accurate.

Keith:                   
Alright, Jamie, talk to us about the letter to the church in Sardis.

Jamie:                  
So just to get started, kind of a reminder of how each letter is set up—it follows the same general format. You start with the salutation, “To the angel of the church in Sardis.”[2] Each letter starts that way, and each one gives some type of attribute of Jesus.

This one says in verse 1, “Thus says the one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” That’s a correlation back to chapter 1, verse 4, and chapter 1, verse 16. Of course, the seven spirits of God—talking about the Holy Spirit there, the perfect Spirit of God. The seven stars represent the pastors of the churches.

Then He says to them, “I know your works. You have a reputation for being alive, but you’re dead.” And just to hit on that for a minute, He doesn’t praise them at all. He doesn’t say anything about their good works, which He has done with other churches.

Keith:                   
So are you saying that Jesus isn’t going to tell us something good and positive if it’s not true?      

Jamie:                  
Correct…. That’s how He rolls.

So when Jesus jumps right into it, He says the word “reputation”—“You have a reputation for being alive, but you’re dead.” This always reminds me of how our pastor, Big John [Goldwater, pastor of Christ Community Church], always says, you know, a lot of people think they’re going to make it to heaven because their uncle was a Baptist preacher, or their grandmother was in church every Sunday, or that kind of thing.

So it’s this reputation—it’s something people thought you had at some point, but you don’t anymore. That’s what Jesus is getting at. You have a reputation for being alive. Your reputation is that you have good works. Your reputation is that you do things for the Lord—but you don’t. You’re dead.

Keith:                   
And that word for reputation there is literally “name.”

Jamie:                  
Yes.

Keith:                   
So we know that if you have been made alive in Christ, your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you have life, your name is there. It’s not going to matter—what is it, Matthew 7:21-23—where Jesus says, “Many of you are going to say, ‘Lord, I’ve done this,’ and, ‘Lord, I’ve done that,’” and He’s going to say, “Depart from me. I never knew you.”

So the idea here, like you’re saying with reputation, it’s not about works. It’s whether or not He has made you alive.

Jamie:                  
That’s right. That’s exactly right.

And so He goes on from there and says, “Be alert, and strengthen what remains, which is about to die. For I have not found your works complete before my God.”

So again, He reiterates—look, y’all do have a little bit left. There’s something there. There’s a little fire to work with. But it’s about to die. And if you don’t strengthen it, it’s going to go away as well. Now, does He mean that whole church [at Sardis] is going to cease to exist? Does He mean that those believers are going to cease to exist? I don’t know the answer to that. I think it’s more of a “Hey, you better get yourselves right with Me.”

Keith:                   
And they would’ve known, right?

Jamie:                  
Right. He goes on in verse 3: “Remember, then, what you have received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you’re not alert, I will come like a thief, and you have no idea what hour I will come upon you.”

So look—what have they received and heard?

Keith:                   
The gospel.        

Jamie:                  
Right.

Keith:                   
And that’s consistent language across the New Testament—gospels, epistles, and here in Revelation with Jesus Himself saying it. You’ve received it. You’ve heard it. It’s consistent—it’s the gospel. And we know that through the preaching of the gospel is how God awakens us, saves us. And when we confess Him as Lord, He makes us alive.

Jamie:                  
That’s right.

Keith:                   
And so the things in this that are very clear are clear to us and our churches today as well.            

Jamie:                  
Accurate.

So I find it… I’m not going to use the word interesting here—I’m not sure what word I’d be looking for—but He says, “If you’re not alert, I’m going to come like a thief, and you have no idea what hour I will come upon you.” Well, if you knew when the thief was coming, you’d be prepared for it. So don’t misconstrue this—Jesus is not saying He is a thief. What He’s saying is that He’s going to come when we least expect it.

And so they’d better repent. There’s that word—repent—again, right? And I want to read the definition of the word repent:

To change one’s way of life as a result of a complete change of thought and attitude with regard to sin and righteousness—to repent, to change one’s way.[3]

So in other words, to repent is not lip service. It’s not just saying, “Lord, I repent.” It’s life service. It’s a complete change. Again, to change one’s way of life. Not an easy thing to do—because we all have things we’d like to hold onto. Things we’d rather not get rid of.

We’ve all got that one little… you know, I think of—what was that homeboy’s name in Lord of the Rings? That’s like, “My precious…”

Keith:                   
Ah….

Jamie:                  
Smeagol.[4]

Keith:                   
Yeah.    

Jamie:                  
My cousin Gollum. That’s him. And his one thing that he just couldn’t get his mind off of was the ring.

And so we all have that thing—that thing we just don’t want to let go of, that thing we hold onto. Jesus is [essentially] saying, “You’ve got to repent. You’ve got to turn away from it. To change your entire life—a complete change in attitude with regard to sin.”

Keith:                   
Which, in this context, is keeping with what you’ve heard—keeping with the gospel.

Jamie:                  
That’s correct. And in James chapter 2, verses 14 through 26—I’m not going to read that whole section—but this is that “faith and works” section that James talks about. And he goes through and basically says, you know, if you look at people who don’t have clothes or daily food, and you say, “Stay warm and be well fed,” what have you really done to help them?

Keith:                   
Right.   

Jamie:                  
That’s right—you’ve done nothing.

Well, the gospel teaches us that we are supposed to act. We are supposed to have works. Those works will prove our faith. They will prove that we love Jesus, that we have a relationship with Him. And if we don’t have those works, then we should repent—to show our faith.

So I think that’s a real good correlation to what He’s talking about here because He tells them, “I know your works. You have a reputation, but you’re dead. You’re not doing anything.” Which is what James is talking about—you’re spiritually dead. And I think about churches I’ve been to before where so many people in the church would say to me, “Well, it’s your turn to do such and such. I’ve done my time.” To which my response was always, “I don’t think you have—’cause you’re still alive.”

Keith:                   
Right.

Jamie:                  
You probably would be physically dead.

Keith:                   
There’s no retirement from being saved.              

Jamie:                  
Right.

Keith:                    Part of that is…what is it L.G. [Schmitz] says? “God has a plan for your life.” And he cites—and I find it interesting that this comes at the end of that section in Ephesians 2:1-10 – that section dealing with how we were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-2)?

You get to Ephesians 2:4—“But God…” made you alive in Christ. At the end of that, you have Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand.” They’re not our works earning salvation, but rather fruit proving the salvation that He has given. He’s put the life in you—you live it as long as you have it.

Jamie:                  
That’s right. Amen.

And so, to go on there—verse 4: “But you have a few people in Sardis who have not defiled their clothes, and they will walk with Me in white because they are worthy.” So there are some people there who are dressed in white. Which, again—I know we’ve hit on it already—but that’s purity, that’s holiness.

As we look at glimpses into heaven further in Revelation, you see the saints clothed in white, right? That’s the idea here. So they’re still doing what Jesus has called them to do. And He says, “In the same way, the one who conquers will be dressed in white clothes.”

And that’s, again, back to the setup of the letters—we had the salutation, we had the attributes of Jesus, we’ve just talked about the works, praise, and admonition to the church—or in this case, the lack of works and the lack of praise. You get the universal admonition: “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” And then you get this final promise, which is where we are now. And that final promise is that “the one who conquers…”—1 John 5:4–5 tells us that the one who conquers is the one who is saved, who has a relationship with Jesus.

So how are you a conqueror? You’re saved. You have a relationship with Him. And that relationship is going to lead to good works. It’s going to lead to doing things for Christ.

Now, are those things always going to be… pleasant at the end of the day? Are things going to happen to us if we step out for Jesus? Probably.

Will people say stuff about us or to us? Probably.

Are people going to scrutinize our lives? Yeah—for sure.

Because that’s how people are when they’re being convicted of sin and they don’t like it. But our job is to follow Him—in works, in faith—to do what He asks us to do, to be led by Him.

And then He says we’ll be conquerors, we’ll be dressed in white clothes, and “I’ll never erase your name from the Book of Life, but I’ll acknowledge your name before My Father and before His angels.” And so you get this really cool ending to this letter, where He says, “Look guys, if you all will repent—change your attitude, change your lifestyle, come to Me, do the things I’ve asked you to do—then your name will be in My Book of Life, and you will spend eternity with Me.” So I think the question, looking at this letter—each of these letters should lead us to ask ourselves a question. And I think the letter to Sardis leads me to ask myself: Do I have a relationship with Christ?

When you look at this, when you think about this, you go—am I leaning back on a reputation I had? Because I used to be a good Sunday School teacher… or I used to be a good pastor… or I used to be a good van driver… or I used to be a good garbage picker-upper… or whatever it is that you used to do.

Or are you still doing things for Christ? Do I have a relationship with Christ?

If you have a relationship with Christ, but the works haven’t been there, then it’s time to repent.

It’s time to do what He’s telling us to do—and that’s repent.

Big John [Goldwater] preached a message last Sunday—which, of course, I don’t know when this podcast will be put out—so that would’ve been January the…

Keith:                    5th.         

Jamie:                   January the fifth. And you can go find that on his Facebook page, I’m sure. Or the….

Keith:                    …Christ Community YouTube page (look no further for John’s sermon from January 5, 2025 — HERE IT IS).

Jamie:                   Yeah, either one. And that’s not a shout-out like, “Hey, come to Christ Community Church, we’re the best thing since sliced bread”—which, of course, I think we are; that’s why I go there.

But the message was on point. It was about doing what Christ has asked us to do, growing in our faith with Christ. And I’m gonna tell you—it convicted the… the—I don’t even know what word to say. I started to say “pee,” but that’s probably inappropriate….

Keith:                   
In the context of repentance: the sin out of you.

Jamie:                  
Yes, it did. And so I’ve been honestly struggling with that all week long. But that’s the idea there.

Now, the other thing is, if you realize, “You know what? I don’t even have a relationship with Christ”—the good news is, you can. I was talking to somebody just yesterday about this—somebody who’s close family. They said, “I’m not sure I’m asking God the right questions. How do I know if I’m asking Him the right questions?” And so I started praying about it, and I was led to kind of our verse at Christ Community—it’s Romans 10:9. And in that verse, it tells us how to be saved. And the first part of that is to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. And the issue with that—that most people have—is they’re like, “Yeah, I don’t have a problem confessing Jesus is Lord. I can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ all day long.” But the definition of the word Lord is like—a master or an owner, the possessor of someone or something. It’s the kind of word that’s even spoken of a husband. Which, of course, we know that Jesus is referred to as the groom—the husband. And so, someone that has absolute authority over whatever it is. And so when you think about those things, you go, “Man—confessing Jesus as Lord means I have to give everything over to Him. All of it. My whole life over to Him.”

Now, what I told the guy I was talking to was—when we confess Jesus as Lord and we grow in our relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit begins to answer the questions through His Word.

So maybe it’s not as much a matter of What questions do I ask?—as it is:
          Have I submitted to the Lord?
          Have I given Him my everything?
          Is He my Lord and Savior?

And so, guys—at the end of the day, if you don’t have a relationship with Him… and we always say it’s really simple… well, it’s simple to say the words, but—surrender yourself to the Lord. Believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead—which is faith—and you will be saved.

So I think that’s a good place to kind of finish today.

Keith:                   
Yeah. And as we wrap—just, each of these…

Jamie:                  
I really can’t rap. That is, um… Tupac, Eminem—those guys.

Keith:                   
W-R-A-P. My bad.           

Jamie:                  
Right.

Keith:                   
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

As you look at this—if you have confessed Him as Lord and He’s saved you—the works are proof of that. They don’t produce that. And Jesus says He will never blot a name out of His Book of Life. If you are saved, you are saved.

Jamie:                  
That’s right.

Keith:                   
Because He accomplishes it—not something you can lose. And so if you look at this and start thinking about it—that you haven’t been consistent—there’s no “losing” of one’s salvation. You may have only been doing lip service.

Jesus talked to the Pharisees—who were the religious who’s who—and they thought they were already dressed in white. They thought they were religiously perfect. And He told them they were whitewashed tombs.

John the Baptist even told the Pharisees to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. If you’re not, you haven’t lost your salvation. This may be that initial repentance—where, like Jamie said, you need to confess Jesus as Lord, have faith in Him, and then He will save you. You’re not getting re-saved, saved again, saved 2.0.

You either are, or you aren’t.

You’re either dead, or you’re alive.

And so, if you read this or listen to this today and realize that you aren’t alive—you can be made alive in Christ today. And that’s our hope and prayer.

Jamie:                  
Mm-hmm.

Keith:                   
Well, this one has been relatively short—as these go. And so, as Big John says, “No one complains about a short sermon.”

Jamie:                  
Amen.

Keith:                   
God bless. Thank y’all—and we look forward to hearing from y’all soon. 

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 3:1–6.

[2] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

[3] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., rev. and ed. by Frederick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), s.v. “μετανοέω.”

[4] Smeagol (also called Gollum) is a character from The Lord of the Rings books and movies. He becomes so obsessed with a magical ring that he calls it “my precious” and can’t let it go. Jamie uses this as an example of how we can get stuck holding on to sin instead of letting it go and turning to Jesus.

“Hold Fast Until Jesus Comes: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Thyatira” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. Today, we will be diving into Jesus’s letter to the church at Pergamum. Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together. This week’s passage is Revelation 2:18-29:

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.
19 “ ‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’[1]

Keith Harris:     
Greetings, Sojourners,
Welcome back to The King is Coming.[2] My name is Keith, and I’m joined once again by my friend and co-host, Jamie Harrison. Jamie, how’s it going, man?

Jamie Harrison:
It’s going great. I’m looking forward to walking through another letter to the churches in Revelation.

Keith:                  
Yeah, me too. We are now in the fourth of the seven churches, and this is the letter to Thyatira. This is the longest of the seven letters, even though Thyatira is probably the least-known of the seven cities. So, let’s jump in. This is the longest of the seven letters, and it starts with Jesus identifying Himself in a striking way: “The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.” Jamie, what stands out to you in this introduction?

Jamie:                 
Man, I love how every letter begins with one of the descriptions of Jesus from chapter 1. And this one — “eyes like fire, feet like bronze” — it’s strong. It’s intense. His gaze pierces through everything. The eyes of fire speak to His ability to see right through hypocrisy. And the feet of bronze are strong, stable, pure — He’s coming with authority and judgment.      

Keith:                  
Yeah, and I think that’s really important for what He’s about to say to this church. Because on the one hand, He has some really good things to say. He says, “I know your works — your love, your faith, your service, your endurance.” And then He says, “Your later works exceed the first,” so they’re growing. But on the other hand, there’s this deep compromise going on.

Jamie:                 
Yeah, this is one of those churches where you see a really mixed picture. Like, they’ve got some great stuff going on. And it’s interesting that love is mentioned — because that wasn’t the case in Ephesus. In Ephesus, they had truth but no love. Here in Thyatira, they have love — but they’re lacking in truth.

Keith:                  
That’s a great observation. Jesus tells them, “I see your love and your faith and your service and your endurance.” Those are all things we’d celebrate in a church today. But then comes verse 20: “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel….”       

Jamie:                 
That’s a heavy name to drop.

Keith:                  
Yeah. Most scholars believe “Jezebel” isn’t her actual name — it’s a symbolic reference to the Old Testament queen Jezebel from 1 and 2 Kings, who led Israel into idolatry and sexual immorality. She influenced King Ahab and the people to turn away from God.  

Jamie:                 
So this person in Thyatira — whoever she really was — was doing something similar. Claiming to be a prophetess, teaching false doctrine, and leading people into sin under the guise of spiritual insight. That phrase, “the deep things of Satan,” shows just how off-track it had gotten.

Keith:                  
Exactly. And Jesus doesn’t just say she’s wrong — He says she’s dangerous. She’s seducing His servants. He says, “I gave her time to repent, but she refuses.” That’s both terrifying and gracious. Jesus gave her an opportunity to turn around. 

Jamie:                 
Right, and that’s important. He’s not quick to judge — He gives space for repentance. But when someone refuses, judgment is coming. And He says He’ll throw her on a sickbed, bring great tribulation on those who commit adultery with her, and even strike her children dead. That’s intense.

Keith:                  
It is. But that’s the seriousness of sin in the church — especially sin that’s being taught and normalized. Jesus says this judgment will serve as a warning: “All the churches will know that I am He who searches mind and heart.” He’s not just looking at outward appearances.

Jamie:                 
And that’s so needed in today’s world. We live in a time when churches are often pressured to tolerate sin in the name of love. But Jesus shows us here that real love doesn’t tolerate what’s destructive to His people. He calls His church to purity — not just kindness, but truth and holiness.

Keith:                  
Yes — love without truth leads to compromise. And truth without love leads to cold legalism. Jesus is calling Thyatira to hold both — to grow in love and to stand in truth. And for those who haven’t bought into this false teaching, He says: “I don’t lay on you any other burden — just hold fast to what you have until I come.”         

Jamie:                 
That’s such a gracious word from Jesus — “I don’t lay on you any other burden.” Just hold fast. That’s the call. Sometimes in the middle of confusion or pressure or even division in the church, the call is just to cling tightly to Jesus and remain faithful.

Keith:                  
Yeah, and I love that the letter ends with promises — not just warnings. He says: “The one who conquers and who keeps My works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” That’s a big promise.          

Jamie:                 
It is. And it’s drawn from Psalm 2 — that idea of ruling the nations with a rod of iron, breaking them like earthen pots. That’s messianic language, and Jesus is sharing that reign with His people. It’s a picture of participating in His authority, His victory, and His kingdom.

Keith:                  
Absolutely. It’s incredible that Jesus says those who stay faithful — who “conquer” by persevering in obedience — will reign with Him. And then He adds: “I will give him the morning star.” There’s a lot of debate about what exactly that means, but I think it points back to Jesus Himself.     

Jamie:                 
Yeah — Revelation 22:16 says Jesus is “the bright morning star.” So when He says, “I will give you the morning star,” He’s giving Himself. That’s the ultimate reward: not just reigning, not just escaping judgment, but having Jesus Himself.

Keith:                  
That’s such a good word. He’s not just promising relief from suffering or an escape from persecution. He’s promising Himself. And that makes sense with the tone of this whole letter. The people in Thyatira needed clarity — and Jesus gives them that. He says, “I see what’s good. I see what’s dangerous. And I’m calling you to stay faithful.” 

Jamie:                 
Yeah, and that ending refrain is still the same: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” That means this message isn’t just for Thyatira — it’s for us too.

Keith:                  
Exactly. Jesus wants His whole church to hear this. In a world where compromise is so easy — where it’s tempting to tolerate false teaching in the name of unity or kindness — Jesus reminds us that love and truth must go together. And that He’s coming. So hold fast.

Jamie:                 
That’s the key — hold fast to what we’ve been given, stay faithful to the truth, and trust that Jesus sees, Jesus judges rightly, and Jesus rewards those who overcome.

Keith:                  
Amen. That’s a good word. Anything else you’d want to say to listeners before we wrap this one up?      

Jamie:                 
Just that encouragement — don’t let the pressure to “go along” with something false wear you down. Jesus sees your faithfulness. He knows. Hold fast. He is worth it.

Keith:   
He is.

Thank you, Jamie. And thank you for listening to The King is Coming. We’ll be back next week as we move into the letter to the church in Sardis. Until then, hold fast — and keep your eyes on Jesus.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 2:18–29.

[2] We’re trying out something a little different and giving a condensed transcript to make it easier to read, but if you want the full Bible study, click the podcast link above or click here.

“Church at a Crossroads: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Pergamum” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. We took a break for our He Who Promised is Faithful readings during Holy Week but are glad to be back at it. Today, we will be diving into Jesus’s letter to the church at Pergamum. Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together. This week’s passage is Revelation 2:12-17:

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
13 “ ‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’”[1]

Keith Harris:      
Greetings, Sojourners,

Today’s letter to the church at Pergamum is tough, Jamie. And, so speaking, I turn it over to you because this is a lot.

Jamie Harrison:
It is a lot, so y’all buckle up and stay buckled up – especially if you are driving and listening to this Bible study. No reading while driving.

Keith:                   
Click it or ticket.

Jamie:                  
Yeah, I’ve heard that somewhere.

Just a quick reminder of the similarities between each letter. Each letter is going to start with that same salutation. Write to the angel of the church, this week in Pergamum. Then we’re going to look at what Jesus says about Himself, His attributes. Then we’re going to get maybe something about their works, some praise and then admonition – something they need to work on (in all but two of the churches). Then, that same universal admonition to let anyone who has ears to hear, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Finally, we’ll get a promise.

Before we start, in the first letter, we really talked a lot about listening to what the Spirit is saying, not just to the church at Ephesus or Smyrna, now Pergamum, but what He is saying to the Church today as a whole and to our local church body. What is He saying? And as a part of your local church body, what is He saying to you?

Keep those things in mind as we dive into this letter because I think this letter hits on a lot of stuff that’s probably affecting us today. So, here we go.

Jesus starts off by saying something about Himself does not have the best positive connotation to it.

Keith:                   
Yes, it is not the portrait of Jesus people would like to paint. But, nevertheless, it’s the one He gives us here.    

Jamie:                  
In the letter to Smyrna, we get that He is the first and the last. In the letter to Ephesus, He’s the One who holds the seven stars and who walks among the golden lamp stands. In Pergamum, all He says about Himself is, “Thus says the One who has the sharp, double-edged sword” (v. 12)[2], which again, does go back to ch. 1:16 where He had seven stars in His right hand and a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth. I think it’s interesting that the sword comes from His mouth because I want to – I’m kind of jumping ahead of myself real quick. Turn to Revelation 19:19, and I’m going to read a couple of verse, actually starting in verse 11 of Revelation 19 (and go through v. 13):

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. 13 He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God.

If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because, again, in Revelation 1, that’s how He is described. He is called the Word of God. We know that the sword is the Word of God.

Keith:                   
Yeah, Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6….         

Jamie:                  
Right. Ephesians 6, right. Continuing in Revelation 19 in verse 14-16:

14 The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. 15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. 16 And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

And then we get this horrible supper of God where all these people are wiped out who were gathered together. And then in verse 21, it says,

The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds ate their fill of their flesh.

So, this sharp double-edged sword that comes from His mouth is what eventually will end everything. That’s the sword He chooses – that’s, excuse me, the attribute He chooses to describe Himself with here (in the letter to the church at Pergamum). So, if you’re listening to this, and you’re in Pergamum, this is not good news. It’s terrifying.

Keith:                   
I mean, there is the admonition opportunity for repentance, but their current standing without repentance is not good at all. That sword Jesus speaks of is pointed at Pergamum.

Jamie:                  
It is pointed at Pergamum.

He goes from there to the works and the praise that He’s going to give. He tells them (in v. 13), “I know where you live – where Satan’s throne is. Yet you are holding on to my name and did not deny your faith in me.” Please don’t mistake that when He says, “where Satan’s throne is,” to think He means hell. Satan wasn’t (isn’t) cast into hell yet. That has not happened. He was cast down to earth.

Keith:                   
And hell doesn’t have a throne. Satan is going to be inmate number one there.  

Jamie:                  
That’s correct, and we’ll see that actually in Revelation 19 and 20 when we get there, that he’ll be one of the first couple beings cast into hell. But what it’s talking about when it says that the satanic throne – Satan’s throne…. Literally, during this time, Pergamum was considered the headquarters of Satanic opposition. That would have been a literal thing. It was a gentile base for false religion. They had a throne there that was a throne-shaped altar that looked like Zeus at the acropolis, the city’s highest peak, a throne-shaped altar to Zeus.

Then a lot of people from all over the [Roman] empire at that time would come to a palace that was built for Asclepius – the god of healing. His symbol was a rod in his hand and a snake wrapped around the rod, kind of like what we see on the back of ambulances and things like that today. That was what he held, that was his symbol, the snake-wrapped rod. People would come from all over the empire to sleep in his temple to get touched by one of the numerous non-venomous snakes that would be slithering around on the floor. Just to repeat, they would intentionally and willingly sleep on a floor that was covered in snakes in hopes that a snake would slither on them. Just because they are non-venomous doesn’t mean they don’t bite. They thought this would heal them.

So, that’s where Satan’s throne comes in. Because literally, that’s what it was considered to be during that time – not a good place to be. I would imagine if you were a Christian there at the time, and Jesus says “yet you are holding on to my name” and “did not deny [their] faith in [Him], even in the days of Antipas…who was put to death” among them. That’s a big deal. It’s really cool, like, hey, these awful things are going on around you…. We understand how easy it is now to get drawn away or moved away from Christ – we have to say this is ok because it’s what everybody says, and I don’t want to offend anybody…. These guys didn’t do that. They stuck with Jesus. They didn’t deny their faith even though all these things were going on around them. Even though it might seem easy that a snakebite might heal you, they trusted in Him.

Keith:                   
Well, it’s like how sometimes people want to take things into their own hands. In our churches today, there’s no Christian culture in the world. Everything is in the realm held by, how does Paul say it in Ephesians 2? The prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2)? I imagine this was a really terrible things because I know when we have conversations with people about what the Bible says about things, people find great offense.

This isn’t a pastor, this isn’t a Christian, this isn’t some church guy, preacher saying, hey, I think the worldliness you are involved in is satanic. This is Jesus. He says that this whole idea there, whether it’s Zeus or Asclepius, what you’re dealing with here is Satan. This is heavy. This is not, oh, well, I just believe something different. Jesus says He is the only way and everything else is opposed to me. He ain’t playing here.

Jamie:                  
Let me interject here. I was having a conversation with a young man who had been talking to one of his buddies who claimed to be a Christian who said at the same time said he doesn’t believe everything the Bible says. Well, it’s either all or none. There’s no in between. I think me and you – or it might’ve been me and Kevin one, I can’t remember…but if there’s anything in the Bible that you’re not going to believe it would be the resurrection of Christ because that’s the most far-fetched thing, right? Jesus rose again. That’s the basis of Christianity. If you believe that, everything else is believable. So, with the Bible, it’s either all or it’s nothing. We can’t add. We can’t take away from the Word of God. He wrote it. All Scripture is breathed out by God. All of it. So, I just wanted to interject that before we move forward.

Keith:                   
I mean, the sword coming from His mouth is what He said. I think this is a very good example that sometimes – and I don’t even want to use sometimes because it sounds like I’m trying to make it more palatable – Jesus doesn’t speak on a basis of what’s going to make us more comfortable or happy or what’s going to fit in, He’s God. He’s the Creator. He’s the Author of life. He speaks and it is – or it ain’t.           

Jamie:                  
Yeah. So, there’s not your truth or my truth. Is that what you’re saying?

Keith:                   
We don’t have to say what I’m saying. The whole idea is what Jesus said. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life, and no one comes to the Father but by me.” So, when He is talking here to the church at Pergamum and telling them what they’ve experienced and that He knows their living in a terrible place – that this is where the throne-shaped alter is, again where Satan dwells. Jesus tells them they’ve done well despite all of that, but that there’ve been casualties as well, which is I think that’s where you are headed next.

Jamie:                  
Yes. So, the very next thing He says, is but I have a few things against you. With Ephesus, He had one thing: they had lost their first love. With Smyrna, they had nothing. Now we get to Pergamum, and it’s like, hey, here are a few things against y’all. So, let’s go through these.

He says that there are some who hold to the teachings of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites, to eat meat sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. What He’s talking about there is the story of Balaam. If you go back to Numbers 22-25, you’ll get the whole story. Balaam was this guy who was called a seer of the gods – kind of like a pagan divination expert.

Keith:                   
And just to clarify, I had heard Balaam – the story of Balaam and the donkey – preached many times in my childhood. I was a grown man before I read it fully for myself, which is on me, but Balaam was always treated like a hero in those sermons. Balaam was not of God’s people (Numbers 22:5–6). Balaam was not a prophet of the God (2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11; Revelation 2:14). He was a mess (Numbers 31:16).

Jamie:                  
Mmm Hmmm. I firmly believe that he would have absolutely cursed Israel had God allowed him to (Numbers 22:12, 20–22; Numbers 23:11). So, that’s what you get when you read the story. You get introduced to Balaam. He comes and is asked to curse Israel (Numbers 22:5–6). He gets on his donkey, and there’s an angel in the way who is about to kill him (Numbers 22:21–23). The donkey just quits (Numbers 22:24–27). He beats the donkey (Numbers 22:27–28). Then the donkey talks to him; that’s where you get that whole conversation from (Numbers 22:28–30). That all happened to remind Balaam that God is in control and that he should do what He said (Numbers 22:31–35).

Keith:                   
It doesn’t matter where the money is, where the fame is, where the fortune is…. When the God speaks, the lowercase g gods have to bow in subjection.

Jamie:                  
Right. So, in looking at the oracles that Balaam gives, he gives three different ones, and in all three he ends up blessing Israel because the Lord will not allow him to curse them (Numbers 23:5–12; 23:16–24; 24:2–9). The first one was at a place that was known as the high places of Baal—a cultic center for the worship of Baal (Numbers 22:41). The second oracle takes place atop Mt. Pisgah, and so that is where all the heavenly omens were made or astrological observations were made—things like that, everything that people would have looked at during that time to see signs and things of that nature (Numbers 23:13–14). If that sounds familiar.

Keith:                   
It unfortunately does.   

Jamie:                  
The third place is on Peor, which is another cultic center of worship (Numbers 23:28). So, all three places he takes him, where Balaam tells him to meet him, are places of Baal—places that are against God (Numbers 22:41; 23:14; 23:28). What you end up happening is Balaam advises Balak to be friendly to Israel, share his women with them, things like that (Numbers 31:16; Revelation 2:14), and…

Keith:                   
And if you draw them in, you’ll destroy them from the inside out.

Jamie:                  
That’s right, and Israel ends up following along. By the way, you can check out Numbers 31:16 to see where Balaam tells him to be friendly with them and Numbers 25:1-9 you get this horrible story of Israel having sexual relations with these Moabites and eating meat sacrificed to idols. These Moabite women are encouraging them to do it. As we were just talking about before we got started, they make it all the way to the entrance to the tabernacle.

Keith:                   
One guy is planning on taking his Moabite cult prostitute right up inside the tabernacle to show Israel what’s up.

Jamie:                  
That’s right, and at that point, a plague had started because of what was going on. That is until Phineas drives a spear through the man and the woman and ends the plague. 24,000 Israelites are killed in this plague.

So, when Jesus tells the church there that they are holding to the teaching of Balaam (Revelation 2:14), Balaam taught Balak to place a stumbling block in front of the Israelites (Numbers 31:16). It’s like they were telling folks that they see they follow Jesus but add this or take away this (Galatians 1:6–9). We could name so many examples of this, but none of it is ok. If you are placing a stumbling block in front of people—placing something that is not biblically accurate—you are causing them to fall away (Romans 16:17; Matthew 18:6–7). I think that’s part of why James says that not everyone needs to be a teacher. You’ve got to be careful (James 3:1).

Keith:                   
It’s definitely why Jesus says you can’t serve two masters.

Jamie:                  
That’s correct. Especially when you’re teaching children. If you don’t know God’s Word and you’re not studying God’s Word, don’t teach children – don’t teach adults for that matter, but definitely don’t teach children.

Keith:                   
That’s another reason, and I know we said this in the first or second part of this study, if you don’t know, say, “I don’t know.” There’s no shame in saying that you have to look something up because you don’t want to cause somebody to stumble.

And I mean the issue here is you have two pictures. They could very well have that zeal of Phinehas—not saying go run people through with spears, but God Himself said that Phinehas was jealous with His jealousy (Numbers 25:10–13). You can dwell where Satan’s throne is. You can dwell where Satan dwells and hold fast to the name of Christ and not deny your faith even when people are getting killed (Revelation 2:13), or you can go the way of Balaam and go along to get along (Revelation 2:14; Numbers 31:16). I think there’s probably—and I’m definitely not welcoming terrible persecution—but when persecution sets in, those who have faith in Christ hold fast unto death, like we saw with Smyrna last week (Revelation 2:10), or they cut bait and fish. They either join the culture or go further into Christ. What he’s telling the church at Pergamum is that they have some folks playing with some stuff they don’t need to be playing with, telling them specifically to go back and test the Scriptures and see what happened to Balak and Balaam (Numbers 25:1–3; 2 Peter 2:15; Jude 11).

Jamie:                  
It didn’t work out so well. Specifically, what was going on during that time in Rome – to help make this understandable, is you’ve got – in order to join the guilds or unions like we were talking about in Smyrna, you would have the people in Rome and in Pergamum having to take a little pinch of incense and put it on the altar to affirm their loyalty to Caesar, the emperor. And that is spiritual fornication, obviously, because when you do that, you’re saying Caesar is lord. Then they would be able to have a job and things like that. So that’s what was specifically going on, but not only were they committing spiritual fornication, they were committing adultery, too. It says, “In the same way, you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans” (v. 15), which we mentioned back in the letter to Ephesus was a group of people who believed in giving in to sensual pleasure, basically elevating what they want over anybody, anytime, whoever, whenever, type of thing – as long as it feels good to you, it’s good.

If it feels good, it’s good. That’s not the case because what feels good for 20-30 seconds is not always good for you. I think it’s pretty clear here that God has a design, God has a way, and specifically, God Himself – Jesus – is talking to these folks telling them that this is not they way He called them to be. Come to Him. Don’t go toward Balaam or Nicholas. Follow Him, not the world. You can’t serve both.

You start to notice a common thread here through these letters, and you’ll see it in the next one to Thyatira, is sexual immorality. Think about how this applies today with easy access to pornography. You know when I was coming up and computers first came out, we got one in our house, and I remember everybody at school saying you have to have a subscription to look at that type of stuff. They will talk about it. Now you just click on there and you can look at whatever you want. Pick your own category – whatever you like to see.

Keith:                   
At the time we are recording this, this is the week after Twitter, or X, decided to be a pro-porn platform, and the comment on that is, in the state of Mississippi as well in some other states in the United States, there’s been some legislature that was meant to make it more difficult for people to access porn so that people, especially in their formative years, aren’t building pathways in their brains looking at this stuff. Now, one of the big three social media platforms (out of the originals) is allowing people to be free to put porn on there. It is their right as American citizens – as part of their freedom of speech… but I guess the word from Jesus would be to those who have ears to hear would be to ask what rights do you have in Christ. It may be permitted by the government, but what honors Him? What glorifies Him?

This is the kind of crossroads they were at. It’s where we are right now.

Jamie:                  
That’s right, and there’s a lot more we could say on that. I guess we shall digress at this time.

Keith:                   
Because of the same opportunity that’s given to the church at Pergamum, if we’re going to talk about the things today, the same opportunity is offered to people today: repentance.

Jamie:                  
Exactly. That’s exactly what the next verse says. Repent! Man, if you’re addicted to sexual immorality type stuff, be it literally, physically, or just emotionally – whatever the case is, repent. Now does that mean that after you repent, you’ll never fall into that temptation again? No, it doesn’t. Then, you repent.

Keith:                   
What did John the Baptist tell the Pharisees? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance (Matthew 3:8)?

Jamie:                  
That’s right. It’s constant vigilance. That’s part of sanctification, becoming more like Christ. He tells them repent or else He will come to them quickly and fight against them with the sword of His mouth. Look again, fight against them with the sword of His mouth. We just read in Revelation 19 where basically He just speaks a word.

Keith:                   
The ESV says, “war against them.” That word is what we’re alluding to.

Jamie:                  
One word and they’re done. That’s how serious it is. Repent. Otherwise, if you don’t, this is what is going to happen. Jesus is going to come quickly and take them out. I mean, there’s no nice way to say that, but it’s exactly what He’s saying here. And if there’s ever been anything to fear, it would be Jesus with a sword out of His mouth.

Keith:                   
He’s very effective in His warfare.

Jamie:                  
He is. 100% accuracy. And that’s real warfare, not video game warfare. It’s real life.

Keith:                   
This isn’t figurative. We’ve been talking about not being able to serve two masters. What Jesus is telling them – and us – is that you’re either of His Kingdom or of the kingdom of the world. That doesn’t mean anyone is going to lose their salvation, but sometimes we have these warnings from God’s Word that show us that it takes more than saying some words or “making a decision” or an emotional response and not confessing Jesus as Lord. Jesus being Lord means endure unto death. It doesn’t mean sinless perfection. It does mean bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. This is where the church at Pergamum was. They were at a crossroads. They either keep heading toward the throne of Satan, the side he is dwelling on or change. We’ll see when we get to Revelation 19 and 20…I think the words of the hymn by Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”: “one little word will fell him”. When Jesus speaks – that is when He says it is finished, nothing can stay His sword.

Jamie:                  
That’s heavy. Heavy.

So, after this admonition, we get the universal admonition: Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. We asked at the beginning what the Spirit is saying to you now. Remember these letters are to us now as well as to these churches. Where are you at? Have we allowed stuff to come in that shouldn’t be there? Do we need to clean house, so to speak? And if you do, man, repent. Don’t be embarrassed of it. Don’t let your feelings of guilt hold you back. Repent.

Keith:                   
That’s right. There’s no condemnation on the other side of repentance, but only condemnation without it.

Jamie:                  
So then we get to our final promise to the one who conquers. Remember 1 John 5:4-5 there. The one who conquers being those who are saved.

He says He will give some of the hidden manna. What’s He talking about there? John 6:35 – Jesus declares Himself the Bread of Life. He gives salvation. He says He will also give the one who conquers a white stone with a new name inscribed on it that no one knows but the one who receives it. That’s cool. Now I’m going to tell you guys really quick that what the stone that has a new name that nobody knows. No, I’m not. It says nobody knows it. So again, if the Bible doesn’t give the answer, we’re probably not meant to know the answer.

Keith:                   
The one who receives it. I just think about the beautiful picture there of the new beginning, that clean slate – literally, in this case. And the God who saves is the God who adopts and the things that came before are done away with. He has borne the wrath we deserve. He bore our sin on the cross that we deserved. He adopts us and gives us a new name. We’re His.

Jamie:                  
Amen. And that white stone, I want to point out really quick. They used to hold the games in Pergamum back then, so win athletes would win, they would be given a white stone as part of the prize. That white stone was their admission ticket, so to speak, to the winner’s celebration after the games were over. So, you know, whether that is what Jesus is what Jesus is referencing here or not – I don’t know. Historically speaking, it’s possible. I just want to point out how cool it is. If you think about this, put together, if He’s giving us a white stone with a new name that no one knows but the one who receives it, that’s our admission ticket – our ticket to get into eternity with Him. He gives us salvation. He gives us eternal life with Him. He’s going to adopt us in like you said – as His children, as co-heirs with Christ. That is awesome. That is good news. And I like ending on good news because this letter did not have a whole lot of good news in it except in the end when Jesus told them that despite all the bad, they could repent and spend eternity with Him. That. Is. Good. News.

Keith:                   
Amen.

Well, we will continue this next time with the letter to the church at Thyatira. I hope that this has been fruitful for you and given you more than food for thought. Again, just to reiterate, admonitions are painful and uncomfortable, but the admonition to repent, just as Jamie said, is good news. Dear Sojourner, we leave you. Have a good week and God bless!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 2:12–17.

[2] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

“Faithful Unto Death: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Smyrna” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. We took a break for our He Who Promised is Faithful readings during Holy Week but are glad to be back at it. Today, we will be diving into Jesus’s letter to the church at Smyrna. Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together.

This week’s passage is Revelation 2:8-11:

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
9 “ ‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’[1]

Keith Harris:      
Greetings, Sojourners,

We are in the letter to the church in Smyrna, continuing our study of Revelation. Jamie, why don’t you remind us as you did in our last Bible study about the form of these letters – the five things that show up in each one.

Jamie Harrison:
Yes, that is correct. Each letter is going to have a salutation. In this letter, “Write to the angel of the church of Smyrna” (Revelation 2:8)[2] – the angel being, of course, the pastor, the messenger, the person delivering them the Word. Then, you’re going to have where Jesus will say something about Himself – His attributes. Then, there will be something about their works, some praise and admonition. Except in this church – Smyrna is one of two churches that does not have an admonition (correction, something to fix). Then, you’re going to have a universal admonition which is to anyone who hears, who has ears to hear – to listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Finally, each letter will contain a final promise.

Keith:                   
Alright, talk to us about Smyrna. What does Jesus tell us about Himself here?      

Jamie:                  
He starts off by saying, “Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life” (Revelation 2:8). The letter to Ephesus referenced back to the description of Jesus in Revelation 1, and so does this one. In Revelation 1:17, Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last…”; He continues to say, “I was dead, but look – I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys to death and Hades.” It’s really cool that Jesus keeps going back to what He’s already said – to almost repeat for emphasis.

Keith:                   
He’s doing it on purpose.            

Jamie:                  
Correct. He’s is the First and the Last which, like I said in Revelation 1, is a claim that He is God. He was there in the beginning as we know. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). So He was the First, and He will be the Last.

It’s also important to note that He points out again that He is the one who was dead and has now came to life because all of Christianity is a complete waste of time if He didn’t raise from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:14-17). There’s a lot of dead people, but He’s the only one….  

Keith:                   
What is it that John Goldwater says? “Dead saviors can’t save.” 

Jamie:                  
That’s correct. You know, I was talking to someone the other day and – I apologize if this bothers anybody, but you know where people are like, You know that my dead relative was looking down on me today, or I was talking to them and they clearly gave me an answer. I know this is going to bother some people, but if you’re expecting some dead relative to help you with something, you’re [in a pickle]. I’m sorry, but when you take your last breath, you’re done. So, it’s important that we make a decision for Jesus before that happens….             

Keith:                   
…because He was dead and came to life – not was brought to life. He just stopped being dead (Revelation 2:8, John 10:17-18). Like Jamie was saying on the part of our relatives, it may seem to have someone we care about look from what we would describe as an afterlife, but we have something better than that: we have the God of the universe who was there at the beginning, pre-existed the beginning (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:17) – He’s going to be there at the end and continue eternally. He is the God who saves, the God who looks after (Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 121:3-5). He’s Emmanuel – God with us (Matthew 1:23). We shouldn’t be satisfied with lesser things (Psalm 119:37). Jesus is clearly superior to everybody and everything (Hebrews 1:3-4, Philippians 2:9-11).

Jamie:                  
That’s right.

After Jesus says this, He goes into telling them some things about themselves. He says, “I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9). Let’s touch on that real quick. When He says, “I know your affliction and poverty.” History tells us that Smyrna was a very wealthy town – very well-to-do. Why would the Christians there experience “affliction and poverty”? It’s simple when you look at it.

In order to work, you had to join a guild, which is like what we would call a labor union, right? Each one of those guilds back during that time, would have been represented by some god or goddess. In order to join, you had to worship that god or goddess. So as a Christian….             

Keith:                   
…almost like your dues….            

Jamie:                  
As a Christian, I’m not going to worship this god or goddess because that’s a false god. I’m not going to be able to join a guild, which means I’m not going to work because I can’t get a job. It wasn’t laziness – they couldn’t get a job. A lot of Christians ended up begging for food and things like that, but it’s because they were willing to suffer that affliction to follow Christ.

So, we ask ourselves the question of if someone comes to you at work and asks you to do something immoral (or whatever the case may be), are you going to do it to keep your job or say “no” and that whatever happens happens? Are you going to compromise your relationship with Christ to advance at the workplace? Or are you going to put Him first? These Christians here at Smyrna put Him first.

Then He tells them that He knows the slander of “those who say they are Jews and aren’t but are a synagogue of Satan”. He tells [the believers there] that they are about to suffer – that the devil is going to throw some of them in prison to test them, and they’ll “experience affliction for ten days”; He tells them, “Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

He kind of tells them exactly what’s about to happen. There’s this synagogue of “Jewish” people who are claiming to be Jews but in the biblical sense, they’re not.

Keith:                   
Ethnically, they are, right? But just as Jesus told the Pharisees on more than one occasion – you’re talking about your father Abraham but you’re of your father the devil. The fruit of your life is showing what you are more than your ethnicity is.

Jamie:                  
Mmmm…. This was happening. This synagogue was slandering them. They would be jailed normally about ten days. They experienced, obviously, persecution and things like that while in prison – sometimes to the point of death. But Jesus says, “Be faithful to the point of death and I will give you the crown of life.” So, what is the crown of life talking about? I think we probably know the answer to that, but let’s look at James 1:12. Again, we always want the Bible to speak for itself. James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” So, it’s eternal life with Jesus.

You notice, you know, this book of Revelation a lot of times – when we look at it, we think it’s just a sign of what’s going to happen and all these different things and how bad things are going to be – and it is, but it’s not at the same time. The revelation is of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1). It’s about Jesus Christ. It’s to lead us to Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:17-18, 5:9-10). The whole central setting of Revelation is the throne room (Revelation 4:2-6). Everything centers around the throne room where God – the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit – is present with multitudes around them worshiping Him, praising Him (Revelation 4:8-11, 5:11-13). Right? As all of these things are going on.

There’s no admonition in this letter to Smyrna. There’s no this is what you’re doing wrong. They have it. They get it. They have a relationship with Jesus, and because of that relationship, they are putting off these other things and are following after Him. Because of that they’ll receive the crown of life.

Keith:                   
I mean, just that idea in and of itself: be faithful unto death. If you’re living in an area of the world where following Jesus means certain death, you’re going to be in less need of an admonition because if you’re know that following Jesus means certain death here on earth, you’ve counted the cost like Jesus said in Luke 14:27-28.

The idea there that “be faithful unto death, and I’ll give you the crown of life”, He doesn’t say when you die in prison in ten days or when you die in the tribulation; it’s for all of life. If you’re like John, who’s on the island of Patmos in probably his 80s or 90s – that just because he didn’t get martyred, he’s no less faithful unto death. He’s faithful until the time that God calls him home. That crown of life isn’t just for martyrs; it’s for those who are saved for all of life.   

Jamie:                  
You know, you’re talking about people who are being persecuted even to the point of death today…. Was it Richard Wurmbrand in that book we read[3]? They put him in a room – in a closet, basically smaller than a closet, and all four walls were nails. There was just enough room for you to stand. If you moved at all, you were going into these nails. They had him in that room for days on end. No food. No water. Nothing like that. Eventually, they would open the door and he would just collapse to the ground. They would defecate and make him eat it – urinate in his mouth, things like that….

Keith:                   
…beat his feet so much that he could never wear shoes again the rest of his life….             

Jamie:                  
Right. And not once did he waver. Not once did his relationship with Christ come into question. He continued to tell the guards about Jesus the whole time he was there. And eventually did get out. But what it did was it strengthened his faith. So, if there was any point, to all of these trials is that it strengthens our faith in God.     

Keith:                   
Speaking of, I had forgotten about this, but while you were talking…there was a guy named Polycarp. He was a pastor in Smyrna and a disciple of the apostle John. And at [Polycarp’s] martyrdom, when he’s about to be executed for Christianity, they gave him an opportunity to recant. We talked last week where Jesus gave the church at Ephesus to repent and remember the love they had at first – those who were going to execute Polycarp gave him an opportunity to repent and remember his love for the powers-that-be, His love for Jesus was more. He says,

“For eighty and six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. And how can I now blaspheme my king who saved me?”

They killed him for that, but Jesus’s own words here – and I don’t think that’s an accident – I mean, it’s more than ten days later, but I don’t think it’s an accident that Jesus told Smyrna this knowing full well that Polycarp and those in the immediate context living in the same situation as Polycarp – that they were faithful unto death.

Polycarp has a crown of life. John has a crown of life. And if we, in our churches today, are faithful unto death, then we’ll receive that crown of life. The proof’s in the pudding, so to speak.

Jamie:                  
It is. That pudding’s pretty good stuff…..

Just to finish this out real quick…. I always say real quick, and it always takes forever. I take that back.               

Keith:                   
It takes the time it takes.             

Jamie:                  
Just to finish this out, we have Jesus with a universal admonition, which in a word, you know, is let anyone who has ears to hear, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. What is the Spirit saying to us? He says, “To the one who conquers”. Remember 1 John 5:4-5 here. This is those who are saved, those who have a relationship with Jesus will never be harmed by the second death.

What is the second death you ask? What does he mean there? We’re going to jump ahead to Revelation 20, and I’m going to start reading in verse 11 and read to the end of that chapter:

11 Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. 12 I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. 13 Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. 14 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

This is not a scare tactic by any stretch of the imagination. It’s explaining what the second death is. You might have died here on earth, but the second death is the one – it’s the one. If you have a relationship with Christ, you won’t experience the second death (John 3:16, 5:24). You will have a life everlasting with God the Father (John 17:3). If you don’t have a relationship with Christ, you will experience that second death, which – even with all of the lake of fire and all that – the punishment of hell is an eternal separation from God (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; Matthew 25:41, 46). You’re never with Him again. You’re eternally separated from your Creator.

Keith:                   
And the ever-presence of His wrath.       

Jamie:                  
That’s right, but I think the people who are there will still blame Him – will still be angry with Him. So imagine living in eternal punishment, being angry the entire time. That’s the feeling it’s going to be. I can’t describe it. We’ve never been there. We don’t understand it. We don’t want to be there.

Sometimes, like right now, people will be like, now, let me invite you to come to know Jesus, but I don’t want you to come to know Jesus because you’re scared to go to hell. If you come to know Jesus, it needs to be because you were convicted by His Word and want to have a relationship with Him – and you want to love Him.

Keith:                   
How does Paul say it in Philippians 3:8? The surpassing worth of knowing Christ. That’s a far cry from the surpassing worth of not wanting to go to hell.

You think about different people you’ve heard talk. Well, I got married to so-and-so because they were the only person in my community or if I didn’t marry this person I’d have to marry that person. That’s not love. … The idea that you’re just pursuing one thing because you don’t want the other, that’s not it.

That’s not the image you get in Matthew 13:44-46 where Jesus is giving the parables of the man who is walking through a field and finds a treasure worth more than any treasure he’s ever seen. He immediately goes back to his house, cashes out all of his assets, and buys the field. He’s not willing for anyone else to find this treasure. The pearl merchant who, upon finding the pearl of great price, doesn’t haggle – doesn’t negotiate – he cashes out everything he has to buy this one pearl.

Jamie:                  
And that’s what these people in Smyrna did. They were willing to give up their jobs – the opportunity to own their house, purchase food for their family, things of that nature – for the sake of Christ.

Keith:                   
That’s one of the things that I wonder here, and I’m not trying to speculate. But He’s talking to them about how they were rich before Christ in a worldly sense. Now in a worldly sense they’re in poverty. Jesus reminds them that they are rich – that their life is in danger but they have Life. I would imagine some of them were in definite danger – not necessarily of martyrdom or execution but just in the ability to sustain themselves and live.

As we look at this to close it out, think about how we talked about Polycarp and Richard Wurmbrand. It reminds me of the perspective here – “the one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death” (Revelation 2:11) – the idea that the closest to hell believers will ever experience is what they experience here on earth. That’s the greatest threat the world can give us – that it’s going to kill us, leads us to our greatest reward (Philippians 1:21-23, Revelation 21:4-5).

This reminds me of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I’ve been reading through his Letters and Papers from Prison[4]…. There are times where he’d be aggravated that he had opportunities for the gospel and he’d repent and minister to this or that person. Everyone who was thrown into the concentration camps wasn’t Jewish ethnically. They weren’t even necessarily for the cause. If they Nazis wanted to just get someone out of the way, they had the camps for this.

Bonhoeffer, on the last day of his life, got up and preached. There was a guy there as a witness – a British intelligence officer kind of kept the Nazi guards at bay to let him finish his sermon. Then Bonhoeffer willing went with them – walked to his execution almost consoling the guards because – you know, you’d have to feel some kind of way when somebody’s looking at you and talking about the love of Christ, preaching the gospel and you’re going to be the one to kill him. And what he told those guards right before they took his life was: “This is the end, but for me, it is the beginning.”

Where so many face the second death, those believers in Smyrna, they face the beginning.

The tears they had for persecution were wiped away by the nail-scarred hands of their Savior whom they served unto death.

That’s good news.

Jamie:                  
Amen. 

Keith:                   
Well, Jamie, that about wraps it up for Smyrna. Sojourners, we’ve enjoyed our time with you today. Check with us next time as we look at the letter to the church at Pergamum.                

Thank you, and God bless.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 2:8–11.

[2] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

[3] Richard Wurmbrand, Tortured for Christ, Reprint. (Living Sacrifice Book Co, 1967).

[4] Dietrich Bonhoeffer et al., Letters and Papers from Prison, Reader’s Edition. (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2015).

“Remember, Repent, Return: Jesus’s Letter to the Church at Ephesus” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. Today, we will be diving into the first of Jesus’s seven letters to the churches — this one to the church at Ephesus. Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together.

This weeks passage is Revelation 2:1-7:

1“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2“ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

Keith Harris:      
Greetings, Sojourners,

As I said, we are continuing in our King is Coming study of the book of Revelation, and now we are entering into the part where you have these letters from Jesus to churches. Before we get into that, though, Jamie, we were talking after looking at the earlier two Bible studies in this series – talk to us about the chain of command from Revelation 1 real quick.

Jamie Harrison:
Just to hit on that, the chain of command was given from God, and it was given from God to Jesus. In the very first study in this series, we said from God to the angel – which we understand Jesus and God are one and the same.[1] I do think it’s important for clarification that it was given from God (the Father) to Jesus, then to the angel, to John, and subsequently to us. And all seven of these letters are directly from Jesus.

Keith:                   
Right. That’s what we’re doing here. We want to be as careful with this as we are with other passages, but maybe we want to be a little bit more careful just in how people want to misuse the book of Revelation for fear mongering or manipulation. What Jamie is referencing is in Revelation 1:1, it says “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants…”.

So, just as we’ve been telling y’all, we don’t have this all together – we are students of the Bible and are wanting to help people study the Bible for themselves. Let’s go ahead and talk about the first of these seven letters (or the letters in general). Jamie?      

Jamie:                  
To start, a few things about the letters is I think it is important to note that, yes, these letters are written specifically to these seven churches. And these seven churches would have been kind of the center, I guess you would say, of how things got from one place to another. So, if I was delivering mail, so to speak, these would kind of be the seven hubs. It’s important to understand that these letters were given to those churches and then disseminated to all the churches from there.

Keith:                   
It’s kind of like how the letter to the church at Colossae was meant to be shared with Laodicea and vice versa.          

Jamie:                  
Exactly. It’s important as we read these letters to look at the similarities of these churches to the Church today – the Church meaning believers but also to the individual (local) church bodies. So, you look at the Church as a whole, but then you also look at my individual (local) church body. How do we stack up? Where are we?

Some of the key verses here in these letters are seen through Revelation 2:7 that says[2], “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” This is going to be repeated in every letter – plural churches (Revelation 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:13, 3:22). It’s extremely important to listen to what the Spirit is saying to us as believers right here, right now. What is He saying to us?

And then, finally, before we jump into the letter specifically to Ephesus, we are going to look at each letter with five very distinct parts: a salutation (to the angel of the church of __), attributes of Jesus (something about Himself), their works (praise and in five of seven an admonition[3] to them), a universal admonition (“Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches”), and a final promise to each church. That’s kind of the way we’re going to look at each one, alright?

So, the salutation, of course, being the same in each letter, to the angel of the church of ___. We know that the angel is obviously talking to the pastor there at that local church.

Keith:                   
Where do we find that? How do we know that? Remind them where we know what it means by “angel”, what it means by “lampstands”. We’re not just making this up. It comes from….

Jamie:                  
Back in Revelation 1:20: “The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” Another word there for “angels” is messengers – someone who delivers the Word.          

Keith:                   
So, in the context of Revelation 1:20, this is not some ethereal guardian angel, so to speak. This is the pastor that God has called to the church. To the angel – the pastor – of the church of Ephesus.

Jamie:                  
Right. The attributes of Jesus that we see here – what He says about Himself there in Revelation 2:1, He says, “Thus says the One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” This is, again, a direct correlation back to Revelation 1:20 that we just read and also 1:16 – He had seven stars in His right hand. The right hand, of course, being the hand of might, the hand of power and strength. Jesus is holding these pastors in His hand. He’s walking among the churches.

I think that’s important to talk about just for a second. Is Jesus walking among our churches today? You know, if He was writing these letters today – these seven letters – would your (local) church body get a letter from Him?   

Keith:                   
Or would it be getting one of the five admonitions? Or one of the well-dones?   

Jamie:                  
Exactly. Is Jesus walking in your church? And if He is, what is He saying? What is He saying to you?

                               
Well, here’s what He said to the church at Ephesus. He gives them praise for their works, saying, “I know your works there” (Revelation 2:2-3). In other words, they are active for God. They’re doing things that He’s told us to do in His Word. They’re toiling at a cost. Some of them would have been persecuted for their faith, up to the point of being killed for their faith. They’re laboring for the Lord, and obviously, that includes endurance, too. They weren’t just laboring for a minute; they were laboring for a while. They were enduring for a while. They did things that were uncomfortable because the Lord told them to do it, called them to do it.

He goes on and says that they can’t tolerate evil people. He says that they have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be liars. So, they’re enduring hardships for Christ. He keeps going on and on about all these awesome things that they’re doing. They’ve endured these hardships and not grown weary. Think about that for a minute. That’s really saying something. That’s saying something big time because we are quick to grow weary.

You know, COVID, back in 2020 made us all weary and about had us done. And here, He’s like, hey, these people didn’t even get tired at all.

Keith:                   
You hear people talk about all the time – and I think it’s even a hashtag on social media: #firstworldproblems – it doesn’t take much to make us weary. That’s the irony of the pandemic, at least for the first part of it: we were getting more rest, more opportunity for rest. It’s like, how can people who are as far away from retirement as we are say, man, I’m tired of resting, let’s go back to work?  

Jamie:                  
Right, yeah. Anyway (chuckles).

I also think with that idea in mind where it says that they endured hardships for the sake of His name (Revelation 2:3). At the heart of every Christian should be a desire to do the will of God (Psalm 40:8, John 4:34). And I think it’s important to point out that it’s as God chooses, as God leads you, as God tells you to (Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 12:2). If you’re just enduring for the sake of enduring hardships, that’s all you’re doing: enduring them (1 Peter 2:20). All lot of people say all the time that the Lord is doing this or that when the Lord ain’t got nothing to do with it (Jeremiah 23:16, Matthew 7:21-23). So, you should be careful and make sure that what you are doing, if you’re toiling for the Lord, is because He’s leading you in that direction (Colossians 3:23-24). Don’t get burned out at church because you are trying to do so much. Don’t take on things that God hasn’t called you to take on. But now, if He calls you to take it on – take in on because what He’ll do is keep you from being weary, right? He will help you endure (Isaiah 40:29-31, 2 Corinthians 12:9).

Keith:                   
The believers in Ephesus, they had just…look at the list here that Jesus gave! But what we know from the book of Acts is that God had done such a mighty work in Ephesus – so many people were getting saved that it upended their economy (Acts 19:18-20)! A big part of their economy was silver shrines (or idols) for Artemis, and it got to the point that there was a riot – an unlawful protest and threatening the lives of the church – because nobody was buying these idols anymore (Acts 19:23-27). People were losing their jobs, at risk of losing their homes, their livelihood in these false gods because people being saved said, hey, I can’t do this anymore (Acts 19:28-34, 1 Thessalonians 1:9).

I don’t know of many people who are weary in their churches because they’re upending the idol industry. I mean, it should be, but I’m afraid that’s not the case nearly as often as it should be.   

Jamie:                  
Agreed.

The last thing Jesus says to them, if you jump down to Revelation 2:6: “Yet you do have this: you hate the practices of the Nicolaitans[4], which I also hate.” Back in Acts 6:1-5, we see where Nicholas was one of the first deacons. They named him a deacon, but he’s actually a false believer. He led the church astray, led people in immorality, specifically sensual temptations enticing believers to pleasure themselves with self-indulgence. But Jesus tells the church at Ephesus that they hate that practice. Later on we’ll see a church that did not hate that practice but embraced it.

Keith:                   
That’s where we find out more about their beliefs, too. Jesus doesn’t get specific here, but in the letter to the church at Pergamum, He relates it to Balaam who was a false preacher (Revelation 2:14; Numbers 22:12, 31:16). He was tasked with cursing Israel but couldn’t do it because God inhibited him (Numbers 22:18-20, 23:8). Also, they are looped in with Jezebel (Revelation 2:20). These accusations are in red letters. This is the letter from Jesus to the church at Ephesus. If He says it’s good – that hating the works of the Nicolaitans is something He also hates, it’s a pro-gospel stance (Revelation 2:6).      

Jamie:                  
Very much so.

So, that’s the works and the praise. He tells them they’re doing a good job on all those things. It’s important to note that this is the Lord commending them for these things. And then He says, “But….”                

Keith:                   
Don’t you just love that?

Jamie:                  
The “but” cancels out everything that came before it. Unfortunately….  

Keith:                   
…and replaces it with this admonition.  

Jamie:                  
The question that I think this leads us to is: how many sins does it take to separate us from God for eternity? The answer is: one. If we sin once, we’ve fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So, it’s important to note that repentance is necessary.

Keith:                   
Also here, this is the church at Ephesus. Jesus – it’s important to note here, not minimizing the sin but maximizing the power – that right hand that holds the churches, He’s not threatening to pull their salvation. He’s made them alive (Ephesians 2:1-5). He’s given them eternal life. John 10:28-29 says that He has them in His hand an no one can “snatch” them from His hand. He’s threatening to remove the lampstand, not their salvation.

Jamie:                  
That’s exactly right. He tells them, I have this against you. You’ve abandoned the love you had at first.

Now, I think about this: I’ve been to a lot of different churches in my lifetime that were doing a lot of cool things, ministry-wise. A lot of people who had been there a really long time, etc. But when you walk in a church and don’t feel loved – you don’t see that others feel loved necessarily…. You know I hear a lot of “Christians” talking about people a lot of times, like did you know ___?

Keith:                   
“Church folks”. 

Jamie:                  
Right. Can you believe so and so? Things of that nature. And I think that’s what this falls under. So, why do we do the ministries that we do?

Keith:                   
You get kind of caught up in being an institution rather than part of the body of Christ.   

Jamie:                  
That’s it, and I think that’s exactly what the Lord is getting at here. It’s like, look guys, you know you’re doing all these great things, but you’re doing it almost out of a sense of duty as opposed to the fact that you love me.

People say all the time that you know we’re not saved by works. That’s accurate. You are only saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5). But because of grace – because we love Jesus – the works will follow (John 14:15, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). That’s why James said that without works there is no faith really (James 2:17, 26).

Keith:                   
What did the Holy Spirit say to the church at Ephesus 20-30 years before this? In Ephesians 2:10, He says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which He has prepared beforehand.” Not religious obligation. Not good institutions. We are His workmanship. Just like those silversmiths were crafting idols, God is crafting little-Christs[5] out of us.

Jamie:                  
Remember that the Church is the bride of Christ. So, think about it as an example of a marriage. Do you do things for your spouse because you have to or because you want to – because you love them? Now, sometimes we do things for our spouse because we have to; it’s just part of it. But we do things for them for the most part because we want to – because we love them – because there’s a relationship there. And that’s the idea here. Hey, you’ve grown a little salty in your relationship, grown a little cold in that relationship – going through it like a habit. You’re going through a routine. You’re doing these works – working in the church, you know, whatever you’ve got going on, you know at the foot pantry, fill in the blank. You might be doing it so people can see you there. Maybe it’s a social thing. But here’s the question: what are you actually doing? I know a lot of organizations that claim to help people but it’s really all about status – look at me, look at what I’m involved in – and not helping.               

Keith:                   
I mean, that’s the image that He gives there. You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember, He tells them, from where you have fallen. You’ve got this pinnacle moment! I know in my own marriage that going through the motions doesn’t get me very far. Funny note on that phrase (going through the motions), is that in England “the motions” means a bowel movement. In a marriage going through the motions is about the equivalent to a bowel movement. It doesn’t cut it. (laughter from both)

You’ve got that standard there – that original love that was motivating and driving everything and have now fallen short of that standard. And that standard is love. What does 1 John 4:19 tell us? We love because He first loved us. This isn’t zeal coming from us; this is a response of worship coming from the only way you can respond to the Savior you took you from dead in your sin to alive in Christ: love. And that’s what they’ve got to remember.                

Jamie:                  
The next thing that Jesus says here, and I think this is really important, is for them to repent and do the works they did at first. So, there’s an opportunity to repent. It’s not like, oh, you quit loving me so I’m going to find somebody else. Like we said earlier, He does tell them that if they don’t He’ll come and remove their lampstand from it’s pace. That means that local church body would cease to exist. That doesn’t mean that they were no longer saved personally. That means that local church body there, whatever the case may be, would cease to exist if they did not repent.

So what? What is the overall call here? What is He telling this church? He’s saying, look, you’re doing all these great things. You’re doing these wonderful things – helping people – doing everything I’m asking you to do, but you’re doing it all out of a sense of duty instead of out of the love you have for me.

The key here is what He says, again in Revelation 2:7, “Let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” What is the Spirit saying to the church? The Spirit is saying it’s about love. It’s about a relationship. It’s not like this ooey-gooey, mushy-feeling type thing – sometimes relationships are hard. They’re tough when they call us to do things we don’t necessarily want to do. They’re going to be hard and cause us issues. They’re going to cause us to have things go on in our life that maybe we don’t want that much. But the fact is that, if we’re doing it out of love for Christ, it’s all going to work out for the better – for you and the other people involved.

Keith:                   
And a call to repentance is a good thing. It’s not a welcome thing, but it should be. How many times do we have to wonder did I do okay in this or did I do wrong in that? I would think that a letter from Jesus Himself saying, hey, these things are done well but the fact that you’re just doing them out of a sense of obligation – you’ve lost something here and you need to repent to gain it back.

Jamie:                  
It’s a good thing. It is very good. It’s how we grow in a relationship. It’s the same thing – back to a husband and wife. How do you grow in that relationship? You’ve got to have a tough question, right? You know, if you’re the spouse that’s being offended, or whatever the case may be, if you don’t ever tell the other person, they won’t know so that repentance can take place.

So, we jump there to the final promise. The promise He gives here is: “To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). I don’t think we have to go too much into that. We understand that salvation is eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. But you might think that the one who conquers is going to have a sword and shield and on the day of the battle of Armageddon, I get to fight all the demons and all these things. No, that’s not true, because if you had to do it you’d die. That’s not a thing. They’re stronger than you – sorry to be the one to break that to you. But the Bible, again, always answers the Bible. So, as we’ve probably stated ten times at this point, if the Bible doesn’t give you the answer, you probably weren’t meant to know.

Keith:                   
On the things where the Bible is clear, those are important. Where the Bible is not clear – it’s not saying it’s not important but it’s definitely of lesser importance.

Jamie:                  
In 1 John 5:4-5, John says,

“…because everyone who has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith.
Who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

So, when He says “to the one who conquers”, He’s saying to the one who is saved. To the one who is my child – that’s how you conquer. That’s what He’s talking about here. So, if you conquer the world you have a relationship with Christ. You will be with Him for eternity and eat from the tree of life. It’s pretty awesome.

Keith:                   
It’s definitely worth repenting and advice worth repeating.          

Jamie:                  
I think to end this we talk about the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13. You know, a lot of times we read it at weddings and things like that, but here I want to look at it this way. Starting in 1 Corinthians 13:4 (and going through the end of verse 8) where he lists the things that love is, take “love” out and insert your name. So “love is patient, love is kind” – take “love” out and put your name there.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, 5 is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. 6 Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

So, the question we need to ask ourselves is could we take “love” out and put our names in and it still be true. Put our churches name in there. The answer for everybody on the face of this earth is, no, we are going to fall short in at least one of these areas. That’s where repentance comes in.  

Keith:                   
As often as needed.

Jamie:                  
So, I think that hopefully gets a good understanding of the letter to Ephesus, and kind of what it was that the Lord was saying to them and to us.        

Keith:                   
As a challenge, there’ sone thing that Ephesus has that we don’t have currently in our churches. In this exact moment, we can do a post mortem (or autopsy) on the church at Ephesus. When I say post mortem, I mean after death. There is no church in Ephesus. In fact, there is no Ephesus today. Ephesus was, and you can look this up, a harbor town. At some point, the harbor began to have silt floating in, and the harbor was no longer dockable for ships. And Ephesus, just like its harbor, dried up.

I think it’s far to say that the lampstand was removed, and the reason I say that is that God didn’t just remove the church and damn or condemn everyone else. He dammed the harbor and moved people elsewhere, to other areas.

So, the challenge is, if you’re listening to this you obviously have an ear. Listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. In this case, look specifically and see the love you had at first – personally and as a church body. If you are in need of repentance to do the works you had at first, do it because the One who holds the seven stars in His hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands is more than capable of pulling that lampstand up and wrapping that church up.

Consider this challenge, sojourners. Take these words to heart. Study them for yourself. Check what we say by the Bible. And, Lord willing, we’ll talk to you next about the church at Smyrna.

Thank you, and God bless you.  

[1] The Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully man. This means He is not just a great teacher or prophet, but truly divine—equal with God the Father and one with Him. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus has always existed, created all things, forgives sins, and receives worship—things only God can do. Believing Jesus is God is essential to the Christian faith. See John 1:1–3, 14; John 8:58; John 10:30; Colossians 1:15–17; Hebrews 1:3; Titus 2:13; Revelation 1:17–18; Matthew 28:9; Philippians 2:5–11.

[2] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

[3] a warning or opportunity to repent

[4] The Nicolaitans held a lot of beliefs similar to the gnostics as well. There is not a lot known about them beyond what we see here in the letters of the church of Ephesus. The information citing Nicholas from Acts 6 as the beginning of that movement comes from Irenaeus (pastor who lived in the 2nd century, born about 30 years after the book of Revelation was given) and Hippolytus of Rome (pastor who lived in the 2nd and 3rd century).

[5] The word “Christian” began as a term meaning little-Christ and was initially used to mock believers (Acts 11:26, 1 Peter 4:16).

“BUT If Anyone Does Sin: Finding Hope in Jesus Christ the Righteous” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:1-2

"Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming) – Refresh & Restore | A JustKeithHarris.com Podcast

📖 Revelation 3:7–13We’re back!After a few months off, The King is Coming returns in 2026 with one of the most encouraging letters in Revelation — Jesus’s message to the faithful church in Philadelphia. In a world filled with opposition and weakness, Jesus opens a door no one can shut.In this episode, Keith Harris and Jamie Harrison explore:✔️ Jesus’s identity as the Holy One, the True One — God Himself✔️ What the “key of David” means and how Jesus alone opens and shuts✔️ The debated phrase “I will keep you from the hour of trial” — and how to read it biblically✔️ Why “little power” doesn’t disqualify faithfulness✔️ How being kept through the trial glorifies Christ’s strength in us✔️ What it means to be a pillar in God’s presence foreverThis church had no rebuke — only encouragement. And Jesus’s call still stands today: “Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” (Revelation 3:11, ESV)🔗 Missed earlier episodes in the series? You can click here to catch up and listen from the beginning.✍️ If you’d like to see a written version of this podcast, complete with footnotes and cross-references, you can find it here.
  1. "Kept Through the Trial: Jesus's Letter to the Church at Philadelphia" (The KING is Coming)
  2. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Love" (Advent 2025)
  3. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of Peace (Advent 2025)
  4. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of PEACE (Advent 2025)
  5. Christ Has Come: The Promised King & His Gift of HOPE (Advent 2025)

Greetings Sojourners!

I had planned to release the next Bible study in our The King is Coming series on Revelation yesterday, but I believe 1 John 2:1–2 is where we need to be today—at least, it’s where I need to be.

When I started doing this five years ago, I never intended for it to become an ongoing thing. The pandemic was in full swing, and I became aware that some members of Christ Community—and others in our greater community—were unable to attend church due to health concerns. Some lacked technology or internet access to livestream services and be spiritually fed. So, I began writing Bible studies and sending them out. I even purchased the justKeithHarris.com site to make it easier to share the studies with folks.

As Covid began to settle into a more “normal” part of life and things started moving again, John Goldwater gave us a challenge during a pastors’ meeting. He asked us to think of something God had moved us to do during the pandemic—something extra to reach out—and to consider keeping it going. These Bible studies are what the Lord has continued to stir in me. Now, have I been as consistent over the past year or so as I would like to be? Definitely not. But my heart to encourage people through the Word of God hasn’t changed. That pastor’s heart—God’s call on my life—is what compels me to write this Bible study today.

So many people are hurting right now (and many of you may have burdens I don’t even know about). But God’s Word is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that [we] may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). Revelation 2 and Jesus’ letter to the church in Ephesus would certainly be good for us and would build us up. But I can’t get 1 John 2:1–2 off my heart and out of my mind. 

I feel a deep burden—and a burning desire—to break open 1 John 2:1–2 with you “clearly,” to give “the sense,” and to help you understand “the reading” (Nehemiah 8:8). I want to help you see whatever it is in this passage that God’s Spirit desires to open up to you. As I write (and truly, I don’t know how this is all going to turn out), there are a few things I want to share before diving into the text:

  1. We – all of us, myself especially – are sinners.
  2. Even if we are saved, there is still a struggle with sin (and unfortunately, we will fall into sin).
  3. When we sin – again, even if we are saved, there are consequences that must be faced.
  4. However, if you are saved and have been adopted into God’s family, you have an advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous who stands for you when you have fallen into sin and shame. His blood covers sin. He is the God who saves. We never stop needing Him.
  5. If you are reading this and are not saved, He can save you.

Again, my heart is heavy for many of you, and I don’t know exactly how all of this is meant to work together. But I do know this: God’s Word going out is always a good thing. His Word never returns to Him empty; it always accomplishes what He intends (Isaiah 55:11). I may never know how this helps you—but I pray that, according to God’s purpose, it does.

My Little Children (v. 1a)

John opens up this section of 1 John with a term of endearment – a term of love – for these people. By calling them his “little children”, he is not belittling them or making it seem like he sees them as less but rather letting them know that he loves them as a father is supposed to love his children. He is about to tell them some good and bad news and this term of endearment reminds them of their relationship and his love for them. 

For me, both at school and at church, I’ve found myself using the word “kiddos” the same way I do with my own children at home. At first, it just slipped out without me thinking, but over the years, it’s become a way to express my care for them—like I consider them mine. It communicates relationship. There’s good news and hard conversations. There’s encouragement, correction, and discipline. They laugh and joke about what’s become my catchphrase at the end of each class—“Good class, kiddos!”—but they always notice if I forget to say it. If I miss it, they’ll ask, “Aren’t you going to say it?” They want to know that, no matter how the class went, I thought it was good. That little phrase reassures them. And even in times when I’ve had to correct them, that word—“kiddo”—still shows up. It reminds both them and me that our relationship remains, through the good and the hard.

Thinking of it that way, I can almost hear John saying with a sigh, “Kiddos, I need you to make sure you’re picking up what I’m laying down: I’m telling you all of this so that you will stop sinning.”

Let that sink in – “so that you may not sin” (v. 1). 

How far will you make it with that? How far have you ever made it not sinning?

Yeah, me too.

From a religious standpoint, that might sound like bad news, because we know we can’t do it. The Bible is clear on this. Psalm 14:3 and 53:3 both say, “there is none who does good, not even one,” and the Holy Spirit, through Paul, drives this home in Romans 3:10: “None is righteous, no, not one.” Anyone who honestly looks at their life and compares it to the holy standard of our holy, holy, holy God knows what Isaiah meant when he said, “all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment” (Isaiah 64:6). Even what we might think of as righteousness is tainted by sin—those “iniquities” that “like the wind, take us away.” That’s why we can’t earn salvation. There’s no amount of scrubbing, trading, or weighing good against bad that can remove sin or make us righteous. It doesn’t work that way. As we’d say in Mississippi, you either are or you ain’t—and, well, we ain’t. The “wages” of our sin give us what we earn—what humanity has earned since Adam—namely death (Romans 6:23).

That’s more than just bad religious news—it’s bad life news. 

But praise God, John didn’t stop there! The next word is only three letters in English (and in Greek), but it’s a powerful word for us: “BUT”. That conjunction takes everything that came before it—our sin, our inability to be righteous on our own—and sets it aside to introduce what comes next. John is honest: he tells these spiritual children he loves that he’s writing to them so they “may not sin.” But he knows they will. He knows because he himself didn’t make it far either. John was a sinner too. And how could he not know that? He had walked in the presence of Jesus. How could anyone be in Jesus’ presence and not be fully aware of their sin?

But more than being aware of his sin, John was aware of his Savior. He wrote that they may not sin—but that when they do, they would look to the Savior. Look at the beauty of that second sentence in 1 John 2:1: “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

That’s good news! Let me show you why.

We Have an Advocate (v. 1b)

Before we go any further, let’s take a moment to understand what John is saying when he writes that “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” It’s important to grasp the weight of this biblical truth before we move forward. The word translated “advocate” here is significant. To the native Greek speakers who weren’t writing in a biblical context, this word was used of “a legal advisor, pleader, proxy, or advocate…who comes forward in behalf of and as the representative of another”[1], which carries the idea of a defense attorney today. This was someone who came forward to speak on behalf of another, stepping in to represent and intercede.

But this word also has rich biblical meaning. It’s the same word Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit, whom He called our “Helper” (John 14:16, 26; 15:26). The Holy Spirit now carries out Jesus’s work in our hearts—He is the One who indwells believers and represents Christ within us. While Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit fills those who are saved, continuing His ministry as our Helper and Advocate here on earth.

That might sound a bit complex, especially since the idea of a defense attorney already makes sense. But Jesus is so much more than just a spiritual lawyer. Just like the Holy Spirit within us knows we are guilty, Jesus knows it too. He’s not trying to work out a plea deal or pretend we didn’t sin. He doesn’t spin the truth or fudge the facts. Jesus was and is sinless, and He will never lie. But here’s the powerful truth: Jesus knows we’re guilty—and yet He stands in for us anyway.

Jesus doesn’t rely on courtroom tricks to win our case. He is, in a sense, both our advocate and our judge. What He does for those He saves is beyond anything a human defender could do—or would be willing to do. He substitutes Himself on our behalf. He takes our place. And when He stands before the Father, it’s His plea, His righteousness, and ultimately His judgment that matters.

But don’t miss this: when the divine gavel comes down, it’s not on us—it’s on Him. The wrath of God due to our sin falls on Him. That’s how it works.

This is huge—monumental. There’s a theological term that’s been used since the Reformation to describe this: penal substitutionary atonement. It may sound like a mouthful, but it means exactly what it says. “Penal” refers to the penalty our sin deserves. “Substitutionary” means someone is taking someone else’s place. And “atonement” means covering sin and making it right. Put it all together, and it means Jesus took the punishment we deserve for our sin so that we could be forgiven and made right with God.

And that truth is captured in two key words from this passage: “advocate,” which we’ve just unpacked—and the next word we’re turning to now: “propitiation.”

He is the Propitiation for Our Sins (v. 2)

“Propitiation” might sound like what some folks call a fifty-cent word—or a seminary word—but really, it’s just a Bible word. There’s not a single perfect English word that fully captures it, which is why some translations use phrases like “atoning sacrifice” (NIV, CSB) or “sacrifice that atones for our sins” (NLT). But since the Holy Spirit chose to use this word, it’s one we need to understand—not just for head knowledge, but so we can grasp what God is telling us through it. Basically, the word translated “propitiation” in 1 John 2:2 “is the means of putting away sin and establishing righteousness”[2], but let me break it down even further.

At its core, “propitiation” refers to the way Jesus took the punishment for our sins and made peace between us and God. It’s the means by which sin is dealt with and righteousness is established. Jesus didn’t just do something to help us—He is the sacrifice that removes our sin (John 1:29).

In the Old Testament, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of a sacrifice on the mercy seat—the top of the ark of the covenant—to atone for the sins of the people (Leviticus 16:14–15; Hebrews 9:5). But Jesus did something far greater. He was both the perfect High Priest and the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10:12–14). His blood wasn’t a symbol on a religious holy day—it was poured out for real, once and for all, on the cross (Hebrews 9:26).

Propitiation doesn’t mean God changed His mind about sin. Jesus, as our Advocate, knows full well the depth of our sin—and we need to understand that Jesus is God. He is holy and has always hated sin. But in His love, God provided the sacrifice Himself (Romans 3:25; 1 John 4:10). He knew we couldn’t save ourselves. He knew we had nothing to offer that could earn forgiveness. The honest and universal plea of humanity is “GUILTY as charged.” Yet through Jesus’ death on the cross—as our substitute—He made a way for us to be forgiven and declared righteous in God’s sight (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This wasn’t just a one-time historical act—it still holds power today. Jesus remains our propitiation. His life, death, resurrection, and ongoing love are what keep us in relationship with God (1 John 3:16; Hebrews 7:25). That matters because Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan is constantly accusing believers before God “day and night.” Now, Satan is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44), but speaking from experience, he doesn’t have to make things up to accuse me. My sin is real. God knows it. But I’ve been saved by grace through faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8–9).

So when Satan stands before God accusing me, I’m not sitting there alone in shame. I have an Advocate—Jesus Christ the Righteous. I don’t even have to speak in my own defense because Jesus speaks for me. And what He says is powerful and final: I am forgiven. The punishment I deserved has already been carried out—He died in my place. And when the Father looks at me, He doesn’t see my sin. He sees the righteousness of His Son, because I’m covered by His blood.

That’s good news!

Wrapping Up

I hope all of this made sense. All I can really think to say about it is, “Whew! I needed that!” – and that I hope it helps you, dear Sojourner, as well.

One question keeps stirring in my heart as I reflect on everything we’ve seen in this passage: if God loved me enough to do all of that—and to keep doing all of that—for me, won’t He take care of everything else?

The answer to that is easy: a resounding YES.

He loved me enough to save me. He loves me enough to keep me. And He will keep loving me—through my sin, despite my failures, and even in the face of the consequences I bring on myself. Why? Because I belong to Him.

And if you’re reading this and realize that you’re sitting before the divine Judge with no Advocate—if you’re trying to represent yourself—let me gently remind you: it’s unwise to defend yourself in court here on earth, but it’s eternally deadly to try and do it before the holy and all-powerful God of the universe. He already knows the truth: none is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). Your sin—any single sin—is enough to condemn you.

So what will it take to convince you to turn to Jesus? What will it take for you to see that He loves you, that He died for you, and that He will save you if you simply bow your knee and confess Him as Lord, believing that He is the risen Savior (Romans 10:9–10)?

I know my words are too weak to convince you. But God’s Word is strong enough. Go back and reread the verses. Click the cross-references. Don’t take my word for it—test it against Scripture. I’m not selling anything. I don’t get a prize if you believe. But if you do put your faith in Jesus, oh what a reward there is for you! Know this: if you need me, I’m here. I’m praying for you. But more than that, I write to you, dear Sojourner that you may not sin. But when you do…there is an advocate. His name is Jesus. He is the Righteous One. He is the propitiation for my sins – and the sins of the whole world.

[1] Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

[2] Zodhiates.

“Jesus & His Church: Context for the Letters to the Churches” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

We’re continuing in our study of Revelation called The KING is Coming. Today, we will be diving into the context of Jesus’s letters to the seven churches (and to us). Once again, I am thankful for Jamie Harrison and the opportunity to do this study together. This weeks passage is Revelation 1:9-20:

9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.[1]

Keith Harris:      
Greetings, Sojourners,
We’re about to dive into the meat of the book of Revelation, looking here at the background. The cool thing about this, Jamie, that I like is there are places in Revelation that you have wonder Does this symbolize something? or Is this ___?, but if you look at this in a Bible with red letters for the words of Jesus, you notice that in this section Jesus Himself explains what elements like the lamp stands and stars are – He tells us here what they symbolize so we don’t have to wonder.

That’s good news for us because Jesus gave these letters to specific churches – and they even may apply to us today.

Jamie, take it away!

Jamie Harrison:
Alright. Last week, I did say at one point that we were about to pray, and I never did. So I apologize for that and want to start with prayer before we jump in:

Lord, thank You. Thank You for being our Father. Thank You for loving us. We just give You praise. We give You honor. And, Lord, we pray that You would open Your Word to us as we read today and discuss. We pray that it would be only truth that comes out, not conjecture. God, I pray that if anybody is listening and they don’t know You that through Your Word and Your Word only they would come to know You. Lord, we just thank You and give You praise. In Jesus’s name, Amen.     

So, let’s start in v. 9. We won’t really discuss v. 9 too terribly much; I just think it’s interesting that v. 9 is one of several verses in the Bible that show that the prosperity gospel[2] is incorrect. It says,[3] “I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, Kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus…” and then goes on to explain where he (John) is because of the “testimony” of Christ. That he’s on an island, and he’s doing backbreaking work everyday.

Keith:                   
…exiled, imprisoned….  

Jamie:                  
…completely. And an island meaning it’s surrounded by water so there’s nowhere to go except death. He’s there because of this testimony.

I just want to point out, y’all, that if you’re listening to people preach or whatever, and they’re telling you that if you’re not doing this and you’re not doing that you must not be right with God [regarding your health or your financial status or how prosperous you are on earth]…know that’s dumb.     

Keith:
Right. This is John, the gospel writer, the disciple whom Jesus loved. You would think that if there is a prosperity track, he’d be on it. But considering how this is so different, like you said, from the prosperity gospel, how he is in this place that no one would sanely want to be in and he received this treasure, these visions. It’s such a cool thing.      

Jamie:
That’s how it starts there. And then it goes into (v. 10) “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet….” And I do think that’s cool. Again, I won’t spend a whole lot of time [on trumpets right now], we will moving forward…, but trumpets were used back in the Old Testament for like a warning, a call to war, and things like that, right?

Keith:                   
And heralds.      

Jamie:                  
So, this is like a voice saying, hey, you better listen up.    

Keith:                   
It obviously got his attention.

Jamie:                  
Right. So, here, Jesus gets his attention telling him to write down what he sees and send it to the seven churches, specifically naming them. The seven churches, you know, people try to make some kind of symbolic thing about them being seven of them and this and that, but this really is a logistical thing. These cities were not too terribly far apart. They were all along kind of the main routes where people would travel.

The churches at that time, I guess you could say that they were really the center point of the dissemination of information. Information kind of went from these hubs out to the rest of the world.                

Keith:                   
And you know Laodicea was a sister church of Colossae, and so on.          

Jamie:                  
Right, right. Notice when it says when John looks (in v. 12). This is one of those things – “Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me” – that reminds us that the timeline of Revelation is what John saw next. He hears the voice, turns, and sees (vv. 12-13) “seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was one like the Son of Man”. Then he goes on to give a description.

At first you look at it and think, well, there’s seven lampstands; what in the world are those seven lampstands? Again, it’s like Keith said earlier, it’s really cool because the Bible always is going to confirm what the Bible says. It’s going to give us the answer if we’re meant to know the answer. 

Keith:                   
If we are meant to know.             

Jamie:                  
That’s correct. And right there in v. 20 of Revelation 1, the second half there, it says, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.” So, literally, when he turned, what he was the seven churches – the seven golden lampstands. And then he sees Jesus. He’s dressed in a robe with a golden sash….

Keith:                   
That’s the part that really hits me. In this, as Jesus is walking in the midst of them…. We know that Adam and Eve had a very special thing that was squandered there in the garden where God came and walked in the garden with them in the cool of the day, but when Jesus before His ascension says, “and, lo, I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20), He is in the midst of His churches – in the midst of the presence of His bride here on earth.

                               
It kind of makes me think He’s disseminating information, like you say, but He had something specific to say to these churches. It’s to us all generically, but to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to all those specifically, He had a word that He wanted those churches, those local congregations to hear.

Jamie:                  
That’s right. And that being said, I think it begs the question: is Jesus walking through our churches today? I think that’s something to think about. If he’s not the center of the body, then we’ve stepped wrong somewhere.        

Keith:                   
Well, that question kind of builds into: is your church His – or yours?       

Jamie:                  
Yeah, that’s tough.

I saw a clip of a guy preaching the other day, and he said [to his congregation] that he had asked them for a watch a year ago and that they hadn’t bought him that watch yet. He asked why they were still broke and poor and busted – busted, that’s his word, what he said. That’s false gospel and has nothing to do with the Bible. That has nothing to do with anything. It’s supposed to all be about Jesus, and He isn’t at the center, then we really got to do something different.               

Keith:                   
That’s got me thinking about the way that some of these foolish false preachers – the way they talk to their church. That’s not how Jesus talks to His Bride. We’re going to get into these letters and see some tough stuff that He says to them – and thereby us – but, man, it’s for a purpose.

The guy you spoke of called them broke, busted, ignorant, all these things. Jesus – He says to the church at Laodicea (in Revelation 3:17) that they thought they were rich, that they thought they were prospering. He tells them they aren’t looking for Him and that they’re really wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Jesus isn’t trying to bust them down and get a namebrand watch – not trying to get rich off them. The church is rich because of Christ. Or it’s poor and bankrupt without Him.             

Jamie:                  
Amen.

So, let’s jump into the description of Christ here. It says He’s dressed in a robe with a golden sash around His chest – that’s kind of like a high priest, or someone with authority. Jesus is the high priest. So, that’s the idea there.

And then, his hair (v. 14) – the hair of his head was as white as wool, white as snow. His eyes like a fiery flame. That’s a little scary, almost. I mean we know the white represents purity, holiness, wisdom, all these things. But that flame of fire, you know, His eyes like a fiery flame, that one should kind of set us down a little bit – the omniscience of God, He’s all knowing, all seeing. Hebrews 4:13 would be a good verse to look at.

But think about it like this when it talks about these eyes like a fiery flame. What we’re seeing is…. Picture this person that you’ve come into contact with in life that just has the look. You know the parent look, the coach look that has….   

Keith:                   
…gravitas….       

Jamie:
That’s it. They just have this look, and it seems to literally reach into the depths of your soul and you feel like you’ve got to look away. You can’t look at them. Jesus’s look here is like that on steroids.                

Keith:                   
I read where a preach said that’s why you should wear a suit and tie. It gives gravitas. Jesus didn’t get His gravitas in this scene because of the sash around His chest or His hair. It’s who He is. It’s His presence.           

Jamie:                  
That’s it. And it is not only gazing into the depths of our soul, but think about it bigger picture: it’s this penetrating gaze into the depths of His church, which is us as individuals but joined together. I think it’s important to bring that out that He is looking at His bride. He is looking at His church like we were discussing earlier. And He’s looking and going, well, they’re doing really great in these areas…look at that endurance…and look at these people what they’re doing for Me…. Then, (as in the case of the letter to Ephesus) He’s like but you’ve lost your first love.

This gaze is extremely uncomfortable and should make us step back and rethink things and lead us to repentance.      

Keith:                   
That’s the thing: lead us to repentance. He’s not tearing them down. He’s not tearing them up. He’s building them up because His people will recant. His people will change and follow Him. If not, then you get the other things He promises….

Jamie:                  
Right, right – which is nothing good.

So, in v. 15: “His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters.” Just kind of think about that for a second – that fine bronze. The alter of burnt offering (in the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament) are covered with bronze, and it’s this divine judgment idea. This divine judgment on the church.

And His voice like the sound of “cascading waters” – think about that for a second. Everybody knows what that sounds like. Like you’re at a waterfall or something and hear that water. Think about it from John’s perspective. He’s on an island. These waves are crashing into the rocks of the island. That’s kind of his background noise all day long. That’s the idea here. This is what it sounds like.

It says in v. 16 that “He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at full strength.” Which…let me back up and not get too far ahead of myself. So, we’re going to find out in just a minute that the “seven stars in His right hand” – He tells us in v. 20 – those are the angels of the seven churches, those are the pastors. The right hand of course is considered the hand of might, power, and strength.     

Keith:                   
The word “angel” there (in v. 20) means messenger (and can refer to people as well as heavenly beings – context helping you see the difference). So it’s not saying that these people who have been adopted into the family of God and charged by Him to care for a local congregation have been demoted to angelic beings. He’s saying that they are His messengers.

That’s something to consider, again, when asking whether Jesus is walking in the midst of your church. Is your pastor giving the information from the Word of God that Jesus – the Word of God – has give for His church, or is he giving some other message? That’s a tough question. 

Jamie:                  
It is. To hit on that for a minute, I know when I started preaching I thought I had to have all the right words and say all the right things to get people to come to know Christ – and almost like a play on emotions type of thing, you know? Set the mood just right. All that stuff, right? What I’ve learned as I’ve grown in Christ is, first off, I need to ask forgiveness from some people for some people for some of the stuff I said and did as a “young” preacher, but the fact is that the Word saves (Romans 10:17), you know? If we’re preaching and people aren’t hearing more from the Word than from us, we’ve got it backwards. The Word speaks for itself. The Word builds up.

Keith:                   
Which is the purpose of having pastors if you look at Ephesians 4.             

Jamie:                  
So, I just challenge you guys as you’re listening: surround yourself with people who are in the Word. Make sure you are in a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching church. Not a manipulative thing.              

Keith:                   
And if you listen to this and you’re a pastor. I think that the way our lead pastor at Christ Community (John Goldwater) put it when we were talking a couple weeks ago is that if you win someone with an argument, you’ve got to keep them with an argument. You win somebody with emotion, you’ve got to keep them with emotion. But if you see someone won to Christ, then He will keep them.

So, when we see here that He’s got these stars, these pastors, who He’s got.

Jamie:                  
That’s it. So, after it tells us about the pastors (stars) being in His right hand, it says that this “double-edged sword” came from His mouth, which we will actually get to later in Revelation when we discuss the final battle. We have a few cross-references for it Ephesians 6:17 and Revelation 19:15. Check those out. But that sword is the Word of God in His judgement, and it’s going to be the Word of God…

Keith:                   
…Hebrews 4:12-13….

Jamie:                  
…and that is how He is going to pronounce His final judgment with that double-edged sword – with the Word – coming from His mouth. Again, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We’ll get there.

It says His face is shining like the sun at full strength. Now, we can’t even fathom this and imagine this because we can’t look into the sun for too long because we’ll go blind.  

Keith:                   
Let us clarify. Disclaimer: don’t look into the sun.              

Jamie:                  
That is correct. Please don’t try it. I tried when I was younger. That’s probably why I squint when I look at things now. Or it just could be that I’m getting old – not as old as Keith, but I am getting old. He is definitely older than I am.

So, looking into His face there, shining like the sun at full strength. Think about this magnificent glory of God – this magnificent brilliance and radiance that’s so glorious it can’t be concealed. It’s shining like nothing you’ve ever seen before. Think Matthew 17:1-13 at [Jesus’s] Transfiguration and what they saw, but this is that on…I don’t even know, right?   

Keith:                   
In person. In it’s fullness.             

Jamie:                  
I always go back to Moses in Exodus 34:29-35 where, you know, he sees the glory of God. But he only sees Him from His back. After seeing Him, though, [Moses’s] face is so bright the Israelites make him put a veil over his face because they can’t handle [the brightness of Moses’s face after his even glimpsing God]. We can’t look on the glory of God. It would kill us. It would legitimately kill us. We can’t handle that.            

Keith:                   
And so to this extent, the Moses example is the moon. Jesus here in Revelation 1 shows the real source of the light on his face. Jesus is light.

Jamie:                  
And we say all that to say this: when you’re looking at somebody like this – which again we can’t fathom – the One who is about to speak has 100% authority. We know that it’s Jesus who is about to speak. When John sees Him, his immediate reaction is to fall at His feet like a dead man.

Keith:                   
This is different when you see people in the Bible encounter angels. They cower in fear, but John just fell as if dead. His entire living faculties fail him.

Jamie:                  
I think it’s the expression. When we look at, you know, our wife or I’m going to specify here: if you’re a husband looking at your wife or a wife looking at your husband. When you say, oh, they took my breath away. [Seeing Jesus like this] took his breath.       

Keith:                   
All of it. Here’s the deal, too, though. John knows Him, right? So, the husband/wife analogy is so much clearer because this isn’t John seeing some amazing creature and being afraid. He’s looking face-to-face at Him who died and said “behold, I am alive forevermore” (v. 18). This is a huge deal, especially for John late in his life, outliving most, if not all, the apostles, and now he sees his friend. He sees his Lord. That’s huge.           

Jamie:                  
That’s exactly it. Jesus looks at John and is like, hey, don’t be afraid; I’m the first and the last, the living One.

Check out Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, 48:12, but again, some of these things it’s hard to even talk about. The first, the last, the living One. The last time a lot of people that were around and saw Jesus, He was dying on a cross. Not everybody saw Him after He was resurrected.   

Keith:                   
Many did, but not all.    

Jamie:                  
So, He’s declaring Himself [as] the living One. I was dead, but look, I’m alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and Hades. You could have a whole conversation on [these keys]; if anyone ever tells you they have [these keys or any like them], they’re a liar. Jesus has the keys to death and Hades. Jesus has the keys to the house of David (which we’re going to see later on in Revelation).            

Keith:                   
If anyone claims to have something that belongs to Jesus only they are not one of the stars (pastors) of the church. They’re definitely false teachers. They’re wolves who are in sheep’s clothing, trying to look like a pastor but leading to the devil whose goal it is to steal and kill and destroy. So, in the context of this conversation [and looking at the description of who Jesus is and the power He alone claims], any who claim what Jesus alone has is dangerous. They are of their father, the devil, and are a liar like him. They are not to be trusted. They are to be avoided at all costs.

That’s a tough statement to make because when you have conversations like this, people want to say, well, you can’t judge. Well, you judge not lest you be judged. Jesus Himself said they are ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing. The devil is prowling like a roaring lion, seeking whom he can devour, who he can destroy…. You want to avoid what Jesus says avoid, what the Bible says avoid.      

Jamie:                  
You’re supposed to test the spirit by the Spirit. I think that’s where a lot of people – like the video I mentioned a little while ago, the pastor was saying y’all want to buy me a watch. The really disturbing thing about this video – and the dude points it out – there’re people in the background going, “Amen”, “Come on”, “Preach it”, like…get out. If you’re saying “Amen” to that, the spirit that is within you is not the spirit of God, it’s the spirit of man. And that’s what Keith’s saying: we are supposed to test the spirit by the Spirit; we are supposed to look at the fruit that’s coming off the tree.

Look, if somebody’s supposed to be your spiritual leader…. So many are supposedly spiritual leaders who are beating their spouse and doing crazy stuff – like, how can you lead me if you’re not following Christ yourself? The Bible specifically tells us that’s how it’s supposed to be.

I know we were going to go through (and it was actually my idea to try to get through) the letter to Ephesus, but we’re probably at a good place to stop in just a second.

Keith:                   
I think we are at a good place to stop. And not because we don’t want to get to the letter to Ephesus, but because there’s a reason this part of Revelation 1 is here. It’s not just exposition to help you understand the rest of it. It’s part of the revelation – part of understanding whose the churches are, whose the pastors are – or whose they aren’t.   

Jamie:                  
A good place to end this today is going to be those last three verses [in Revelation 1]. Where we’re starting at the end of v. 17 where Jesus says,

“Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look – I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades. Therefore write what you have seen, what is, and what will take place after this. The mystery of the seven stars you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”

We’ve discussed that already, but I want to go back to the way Jesus describes Himself: “I am the First and the Last, and the Living One. I was dead, but look – I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Philippians 2:9-11 say:

“For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”   

I really want to press this home. This whole revelation is about Jesus Christ. This whole revelation is supposed to make us look towards Jesus Christ, and if it makes you look anywhere else, then we’ve got to start over from the beginning. Jesus’s name is the name that is above every name. It is the name. And at His name every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.

Watch this, now, this is important; we’re going to go to Romans 10:9-13. This is our favorite verse at Christ Community. We make sure we say it every time that we’re gathered together. People often ask and say that they’d like to have a relationship with Christ – how does that happen? Romans 10:9-13 tells us how:

“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,, since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, because the same Lord of all richly blesses all who call on him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Now, let’s put all this together from what we just read in Revelation where Jesus says He’s the first and the last, the living One. In other words, He’s saying I was dead but I’ve come back to life now. That’s the key to salvation. If you confess with your mouth “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead – without this there is no Christianity. Without the resurrection it’s pointless – a waste of our time.

Here’s what I want to point out to everybody listening, ok? Whether you want to or not, at some point in your life, you are going to confess that Jesus is Lord. You are going to confess that He was raised from the dead and He’s alive forevermore.

Keith:                   
…because you are going to be faced with Him – irrefutable face-to-face evidence              

Jamie:                  
That’s exactly right. And that’s what Philippians 2 tells us. It doesn’t say every believer will confess. It says everyone. Everyone.

Keith:                   
…on the earth and under it….

Jamie:                  
And that’s everybody who is, who was, and who ever will be. So, I challenge you to look at these verses, Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord – which means giving everything over to Him, trusting in Him completely to lead, guide, and direct you in the right way. To say that you’re going to trust Him with every little thing that’s going on in your life. And that you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. That’s how to be saved.

Keith:                   
That’s the faith we talked about – that trust.

Jamie:                  
That’s it. And, honestly, it’s one of two choices. You can say it because you want to or….

Keith:                   
…because you have to and it’s out of subjection that the King has come.

Jamie:                  
And He is coming.

Keith:                   
I think that’s a good place to stop. I urge you to check out…the Scripture references for yourself, and as we prepare to look at these letters to the churches over the next few weeks, be prepared to examine your own heart – not to be critical but to be biblical.

And we’ll catch you with the letter to the church at Ephesus next week! Thank you and God bless!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 1:9–20.

[2] A religious belief that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for faithful Christians

[3] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

“Preparing for the Coming King” — a Refresh & Restore Bible Study

Greetings, Sojourners, and welcome to this week’s Refresh & Restore Bible study!

We’re kicking off a new study today through the book of Revelation, but it’s not going to be a typical study of the book of Revelation. I’ll be going through it conversationally with Jamie Harrison, and we’re calling it The KING is Coming.

Today, we’ll be opening with Revelation 1:1-8 to introduce and open the study:

1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

8“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”[1]

Keith Harris:
Jamie Harrison is with us, and he’s going to talk to us about the book of Revelation. We will be doing this, as I said earlier, conversationally. I am as curious as any to see how this is going to go.

Jamie Harrison:
Same here.       

Keith:
So, Revelation – The KING is Coming….   

Jamie:
Revelation. I love the fact that you say Revelation and not RevelationS. That’s a common misconception with the book of RevelatioN. If you look, and I’m pretty sure any translation of the Bible, it’ll say Revelation is singular.

I love the way John MacArthur puts it in his Revelation Bible study. He says,

“Revelation depicts Jesus as the risen, glorified Son of God, ministering among the churches as the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of Earth as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, as the first and the last, as the Son of Man, as the one who was dead but now is alive forevermore, as the Son of God, as the One who is holy and true, as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, as the Lamb in heaven with authority to open the title deed to the earth, as the Lamb on the throne, as the Messiah who will reign forever, as the Word of God, as the majestic King of kings and Lord of lords, returning in glorious splendor to conquer His foes, and as the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star.”[2]

What does all that mean? That the Revelation is Jesus.

I think it’s important to start off with the fact that the book of Revelation is oftentimes misunderstood as a book of something we’re supposed to guess about and put together conjecture….     

Keith:
…a code to break….        

Jamie:
That’s right. And draw pictures of what this might be and what that might be.

The book of Revelation is about Jesus. The whole Bible builds up to this book, right?

Keith:
Which is why it’s last in the canon[3] – because it’s supposed to be.            

Jamie:
That’s correct!

A couple of things before we get started, just so everyone knows what we’re not doing in this study. We’re not speculating about whether Jesus might come back on this day or on that day. We’re not debating on which theory is right or wrong. We’re not getting into the whole pre-, mid-, post-trib thing – anything like that; we’re going to present those as common approaches as to when Jesus is going to come.

Keith:
Acknowledge them, but if I remember when we first talked about this, the goal was a verse-by-verse study of the book of Revelation, like one studies the other sixty-five books of the Bible.

Jamie:
That’s correct. I think that’s it.

I think the best approach to the book of Revelation, because so many people that listen to this and so many of the conversations I’ve had with people over the years we’ve been doing this study at our church – if you have pre-conceived notions of anything in the book of Revelation, I genuinely pray that you approach it with the Holy Spirit as our teacher (John 14:26). We must have total dependence on Him. Total. Dependence. On Him.            

Keith:
I think this is a good time to reference that as we do these Bible studies, as we seek to be refreshed and restored – not just in the Revelation study but in all of them, this is not self-help; it’s not a magic pill or some sort of sorcery or incantation. The Holy Spirit is your teacher if you have faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation comes by grace through faith in Him alone. If He has saved you, He is your teacher.

If not, we invite you to confess Him as Lord, to believe in your heart that He died on the cross for our sins and rose again on the third day, and that by putting your faith in Him by asking – calling out – to Him, trusting that He will save you (Romans 10:9-13, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

If that’s the case, the book of Revelation will be good news. If it’s not the case, there will be several places in this study that will not be good news.              

Jamie:
That’s correct. One of the things that has kept coming up in our Bible study at church is that, man, it seems Revelation is full of bad news all the way through, but then, all of a sudden, you know, if you really pay attention every time something “bad” is given, it is followed up by something that’s awesome!          

Keith:
The King IS coming! That’s what all the “bad” is going to culminate in – the most awesome.

Jamie:
And He’s coming whether you want Him to or not.

The last thing before we get into it is to talk about the timeline of Revelation real quick, just because a lot of times when you read Revelation, you automatically think: OK, well, we’re reading this in order – you know this happens, then this happens. But the fact is, the timeline of Revelation is what John saw next.

A couple of examples of that is in ch. 1:12 (CSB)[4], it says,

“Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me. When I turned I saw seven golden lampstands….”

So that’s what he saw when he turned. It doesn’t mean it was in order (chronologically) of what he just said. Chapter 4:1, another good example:

“After this I looked….”

So, after what he had just talked about – after he had received the letters to the churches, he looked and there in heaven was an open door. It doesn’t mean that he received the letters and, then, that’s what happened next. This is what he saw next.

Keith:
A timeline for us to plan this all out isn’t part of the goal.

Going back to what you said earlier, the goal is for us to see Jesus Christ revealed – as He revealed this to John.  

Jamie:
That’s it. That’s correct. Just don’t get caught up trying to figure out when Jesus is coming. The fact is…we don’t know. And if anyone tells you different, they’re a liar – a false prophet.             

Keith:
Because Jesus says it cannot be known (Matthew 24:36).              

Jamie:
That’s right. The only inclination we’re given is in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 where we’re told that believers will be able to tell that the tribulation is happening. They will understand it by things that are going on because they’ve read the Bible and they’re filled with the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t mean they’ll know when Jesus is coming. That just means they’ll understand the times that are going on.               

Keith:
When you look at a lot of the people who are trying to narrow it down to a date – that’s often for their own glory. You think of Harold Camping who had one date, then other date, and then kind of just goes into relative obscurity because he didn’t get (it right) or the glory he was looking for. It’s about the coming of Jesus, not the one who can pinpoint the date. It’s about Him, not setting up some fruitful and enriching – monetary or otherwise – eschatology[5] ministry for people who are afraid to kind of twist them or turn them whichever way (2 Timothy 3:6-7, Romans 16:17-18, 2 Peter 2:1-3, Jude 4, Ephesians 4:14).         

Jamie:
That’s right.

Now, with all of that being said, let’s jump into it.            

Keith:
Sounds good.    

Jamie:
So, we started in v. 1. And this is to just reiterate how we started, it says:

“The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave Him to show His servants what must soon take place.”

According to v. 1 – let me see how to phrase this – the Bible gives all the answers, right? If you can’t find the answers in the Bible, then the answer is “I don’t know”. 

Keith:
Right, and that’s a very good answer because it’s always better – and especially if people ask you, dear Sojourners, something that you don’t know, it’s better to tell them that you don’t know and that you’re willing to seek it out in Scripture than to make something up. (Making up answers) has never served Christ well or built up His Church. So, Jamie and I are fans of “I don’t know”.     

Jamie:
Yes, big fan. Those are three of my favorite words actually.

So, v. 1 gives us the answer to this revelation is an unveiling of. Revelation is an unveiling, a revealing, of all these things we are about to read about. There was what these people looked like and these animals look like and all these things – what in the world is that? None of that, in the end, matters. What matters is the unveiling – the revealing – of the revelation of Jesus Christ. We’re given that answer right here at the beginning.

The next thing we find here is the chain of communication. We’re told how it was made known to the rest of us. There in v. 1 it says He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John. Who sent it to the angel? God did. So, God sent the revelation to the angel, the angel gave the revelation to John, and John gave the revelation to us.             

Keith:
To the seven churches and then to the rest of us through John.

Jamie:
That is also an important thing to look at because people will say that this was just a man writing this book. Who is he? Why should we believe what he says? We’re told right from the beginning that this revelation comes from the mouth of God, as does all Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21).              

Keith:
That’s the argument that people commonly want to make. Oh, a man wrote this. Part of the Holy Spirit being our teacher if we are saved is believing that the Bible doesn’t contain God’s Words, it is God’s Word that He breathed out through these people who wrote it down, and He is faithful.               

Jamie:
Amen.

Off of that, who is this revelation for? This is written to seven specific churches. Is it for them, us – who is it for? Again, the Bible gives us the answer. Look at v. 3:

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep what is written in it, because the time is near.”

Again, the Bible gives us the answer. Who is this for? It is for those who read it aloud, those who hear the words of the prophecy and those who keep what is written in it.

That’s who it’s for: everybody. If you read it – if you keep it, it’s for you.

Keith:
And, I do think it’s important to clarify since there are so many – you can almost throw a rock in some towns and hit a church that’s “preaching” through Revelation – but so much of it is about their theories and conjectures. It needs to be important that, even and especially with our words, our commentary, our discussion of this, that it’s the words from the Bible that hold the power, that hold the weight.

And you don’t hear that in some of these eschatology, end-time studies. They are promoting their view.  

Jamie:
That’s such a big word you used there. What does eschatology mean?    

Keith:
Eschatology is the study of the end times – of what is to come.   

Jamie: [joking]
That’s for us simple-minded people.       

Keith:
I’ve seen over the last few weeks on social media – ads of various big-name, popular preachers – where you can get their fold-out guide to the apocalypse or you can get their timeline where they lay it out and say “This is the only way….” It’s free, but you click on the link and you’re selling a lot of stuff. Jesus’s revelation was freely given – good news and bad news – for the churches, for us to take heed of.      

Jamie:
So, we’re not selling this Bible study?     

Keith:
No, this is not a money-making venture. That has not been my experience.              

Jamie:
Apologies, I thought we were going to get rich quick.      

Keith:
No. In fact, I was hoping some money would fall out of your pocket while we were recording – that was my only chance.         

Jamie:
Coincidentally, I left my wallet in the truck.         

Keith:
So, we digress…back to the revelation.   

Jamie:
Here in vv. 4-6 we get to a description of the Trinity. It says,

“John: To the seven churches in Asia. Grace and peace to you from the One who is, Who was, and Who is to come, from the seven spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father – to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

So, you get this really awesome description of the Trinity here, the One who is, was, and is to come. Obviously referring to God the Father from the seven spirits before His throne, referring to the Holy Spirit. That seven number there, Keith, I don’t know I you want to hit on it or just for our purposes say seven means (represents) fullness?

Keith:
Right. Completion.          

Jamie:
That’s right. That’s the idea there. And then, finally, from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. I do think that’s important to talk about real quick. Faithful witness, meaning that if he says it you can take it to the bank. Everything Jesus has ever said – when He was here on earth or things that He’s revealed through His Spirit – has been accurate, has been true. And not only that, He’s a faithful witness because He was there from the beginning.    

Keith:
I think that’s very important to say because, a lot of the time we see the word “witness” in the New Testament, it’s the Greek word from which we get our word “martyr”. He was faithful with His life from before the foundation of the world all the way to His incarnation, death, resurrection, ascension, and always will be because he’s an eternally faithful witness because He was and is and is to come.   

Jamie:
That’s right. John 1 speaks to that. It says in John 1:14:

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed His glory, the glory as of the One and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

So, the Word became flesh. Ok, now watch this. John 1:1:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

He was with God in the beginning, so John 1:14 tells us the Word became flesh – obviously referring to Jesus – He was there from the beginning. When creation happened, Jesus was there. And don’t get that confused. He wasn’t somebody randomly created along the way.

Keith:
He is God because He wasn’t created.

And don’t expect a explanation of the Trinity here because, well, let’s be honest. If someone could fully explain all of who God is then somebody made Him up. I think it’s C.S. Lewis – what’s that book we read? Mere Christianity. He said the way the Bible presents things is just odd enough that man couldn’t have made it up.[6] It’s so different – and in some places unexplainable that dome dude didn’t think of it. That’s good news!          

Jamie:
It is. Amen.

The other part here, of vv. 5-6, that I want to point out is you get this spontaneity of praise that happens. It’s just this seemingly random, you know, we’re getting a description here when all of a sudden he goes into this praise moment where he’s like “the faithful witness, the first born of the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth”. Think about that for a second. “To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood”. This moment of praise for salvation for being made into a kingdom and priests to God – “glory and dominion forever and ever”. Amen. What I want to point out about this is when we’re going through our everyday life – when we’re going to work, when you’re dealing with whatever, all the issues, all the problems, whatever, we should have moments every day where we stop and for whatever reason it just hits us and we stop and say thank you to Him. Now, I’m not saying you’re in the middle of Walmart and you all of a sudden start shouting and running the aisles and doing all that. That would be glorifying yourself not the Lord.          

Keith:
Attention to you rather than Him.           

Jamie:
That’s right. What I’m talking about is a moment where you just sit back and you go, “Thank you, Lord, for saving me. Thank you for choosing me. Out of all the people in the world, you chose me.”         

Keith:
And those won’t be moments where you’ve done something great. I know when they come in my life that it’s done that is boneheadedly stupid – sin that I know better than to commit, or that I willingly committed knowing full well it was sin, and then it hitting me, the impact that He has freed us from our sins by His blood that…. Was it Romans 5:8?

“…but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

It’s that realization that I can’t believe He would want to love me. It’s just such a…. It’s that He is praiseworthy. Not because of what He’s done for us, but because He and His character would do something like that for people like us.

Jamie:
That verse always reminds me of that movie about emotions. [Inside Out] In the movie joy and anger and all those things, they’re trying to get back to the headquarters because Riley, the main character is going through puberty or whatever and has moved. She’s about to, you know, her emotions are going crazy – much like my middle school students I work with every day. Anyway, that verse reminds me of that because it says [in Romans 5:8-11]:

“God proved His own love for us, and that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been [declared righteous] by His blood, will we be saved by Him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.”

It reminds me of [Inside Out] because there’s all these fake people in their head – it’s an imagination thing – where these characters in her head would like die for Riley…. My point is the Bible [in Romans 5:7] asks how often someone would really be willing to die – even for a just person. Maybe for a good person somebody might die….       

Keith:
Somebody who you dearly love and has significance to you personally.   

Jamie:
But not some random person on the street who’s done you wrong. That’s the enemy – the language it uses in Romans 5:10-11. We’re talking about the person who hates you – strong word, but hates you and you know they do. Maybe they’ve messed you out of a job or whatever. You know they did something to you. Christ died for them.

Keith:
I mean, that’s the context back in Revelation 1:7 – some of those He is “coming with the clouds” to get will include “even those who pierced Him”. There’s some bad news that there are “tribes of earth” that will wail on account of Him, but just like the Centurion standing at the foot of the cross who was one of the ones presiding over His execution (Matthew 27:54, Mark 14:39, Luke 23:47) said, “Surely this was the Son of God!”

Jesus saves sinners. Prior to coming to Christ, enemies – everyone is affiliated. There’s no unaffiliated random innocent person out in some jungle. All “have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There’s enmity between us and God because of our sin, and He, willingly, because of His great love and mercy, died for even me.  

Jamie:
And that’s the second half of v. 5: “To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood”.

A couple of cross-references for you real quick – I’d be remiss to not give these. Verse 7:

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,
and every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him.
And all the tribes of the earth,
will mourn over him.’
So it is to be. Amen.”

Some cross-references for that are Isaiah 19:1, Zechariah 12:10, John 19:34-37, Genesis 12:3, Genesis 28:14, Zechariah 14:17. I just encourage you to go through those and read those because the Bible confirms the Bible. There’s nothing in the Bible that’s not going to be confirmed by something else in the Bible. And, if you’re reading something in the Bible and you think it means something that cannot be confirmed through other Scriptures, you might want to rethink that.

Keith:
And you can look in the footnotes as well as in the parenthetical (in parenthesis) references and check what we say. You don’t need to take our word for this.

I’m not saying we’re not trustworthy. I’m saying we are fallible. We can misspeak and misunderstand from time to time. But God’s Word that is infallible.

Jamie:
Before we finish up, here are some other verses from the spontaneity of praise in vv. 5-6. Y’all check out Revelation 4:9-11, 5:13, 7:11-12; Ephesians 3:20-21; 1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 24-25. There’s a whole lot more; that’s just some. But as you’re reading the Word every day, there should be this moment where you just stop and praise the Lord. Like, [reading His Word] overwhelms you and His being Almighty.

I think one of the big questions from vv. 1-8 should be whether reading the Word leads to a moment of praise. And if it doesn’t, then we need to rethink and maybe rework why we’re reading the Word (and the way we’re reading the Word). You know, I like to turn my Bible plan on and hit play and listen to it while I’m getting ready in the mornings, but if that’s not leading me to a moment of praise then I need to rethink how I’m doing it because it’s not getting through, I’m just playing it to play it.

Keith:
You’re getting through the Bible, not getting the Bible through you.

Jamie:
That’s it.

Then, finally, the last two verses – what we just read in v. 7 and then in v. 8. I love this v. 8. In it, Jesus says,

“I am the Alpha and the Omega…the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

This is a cool moment. The Lord introduces Himself as the Alpha and the Omega – which means the beginning and the end, the first and last letters (of the Greek alphabet – essentially the A-Z), the one who is, who was, and who is to come. The Almighty.

Now, in Revelation 22:13, Jesus says,

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

So, the way Revelation starts is the way Revelation ends, letting us know that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega.

Keith:
Letting us know He is the God who has always been. He is the God who is speaking, and as we’ve said throughout, He is the King who is coming! That gives me chill bumps!

Jamie:
Yeah, and it’s not cold in here.[7] That’s a Holy Spirit bump, I would say.

Keith:
Don’t miss this as we wrap this study. This is the first of however many it takes for us to get through this.

Jamie:
Hopefully not as long as it’s been [in the church study].

Keith:
As I’ve said, Jamie, it takes what it takes, but the idea here is to keep our focus on Jesus returning, Jesus coming back, because He has promised that He is.

Jamie:
Hey, let’s talk about that for a second – just for a second. In vv. 7-8, talking about He’s coming back and we know He’s coming. We’re told at the end of v. 3 “because the time is near”, and I know everybody looks and they freak out because this was way back then the time isnear. All that means is God’s time frame is near because God’s time frame and our time frame are two different things, ok? You know, just keep that in the back of your mind.

I want you to understand that from the beginning of the Bible in Genesis to the end of the Bible in Revelation, it all leads up to this moment: He is coming, coming as the conquering King. He is coming as the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11).

And, I’m sorry – I’m going off on a little thing here, but y’all just really think about this for a minute when it says every, single one, I want you to think about all the people around the world. Right? People – we always go to political leaders and stuff, and I was trying not to name drop anybody because, I just don’t like doing that, but I guess I’m about to anyway. But just think of people like Vladimir Putin – who is an atheist, right? Totally against God, and, man, when Jesus comes back, his knees are going to bow, his tongue is going to confess.

I think of – what was the real famous atheist that just died? The science guy in the chair? Stephen Hawking. He was totally against God – and clarified that he was going into nothingness. His knees are going to bow. His tongue is going to confess.

And, again, this has been from Genesis all the way to the end of Revelation. So, here are some verses to check out: Genesis 3:15, Matthew 24:37, Luke 19:13, John 14:1-3, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Philippians 3:20-21, Hebrews 9:28, and Jude 14 – again, there are more, but that’s just an idea how from the very beginning in Genesis to the very end in Revelation, the entire Bible leads up to this moment when the King is Coming.

Keith:
And I think that’s a good spot for us to get to today, not timewise but just thoughtwise. Sojourners, while we are recording this podcast, my nine-year-old (at the time) son is sitting in our living room is waiting on someone to pick him up – a friend who has asked him to hang out. And he’s been up there – it’s currently 10:15 in the morning, and he’s been up since before 7:00a in expectation – because it’s something he’s looking forward to. He is not anxious. He’s not disappointed in the wait. There’s an expectation, though.

And so we talk about every knee bowing, what you have to ask yourself is what heart-position is going to accompany your bowed knee. When it says that we know Jesus is coming as the conquering King, are you kneeling in subjection, in recognition that you have been conquered because the King of kings and Lord of lords has won the day? Or are you doing it in worship of the King who you have longed for His return – that He who is on the throne is coming, and there will be a Day when you get to stand before Him? When He pulls you from your knees. When He exalts you as it says in 1 Peter 5:6 by the mighty Hand of God and get pulled into an embrace. That’s the expectation. Or if that’s not it, then we definitely have some soul searching we need to do.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Re 1:1–8.

[2] NEED THE EXACT QUOTE/REFERENCE FOR JOHN MACARTHUR HERE.

[3] Footnote on the canon?

[4] Jamie – unless he states otherwise – uses the Christian Standard Bible (copyright © 2018 by Holman Bible Publishers).

[5] Eschatology will be defined later on.

[6] Mere Christianity publication info and actual quote?

[7] Fun story: it really was not cold the morning we recorded this first Bible study for Revelation. In fact, we didn’t know it but my air conditioner when out while we were recording!