The Church of Jesus Christ on the Last Part of the Way - Part II

Marcel Malgo

In the first part of this article we saw, among other things, that children of God, however they may be faring, are on their way to the heavenly homeland. In this second part, we will discuss what the Lord expects of His children on this last part of the way.

“The exalted Lord said to His Church in Philadelphia, And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem,which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 3:7-13).

What do the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 have to do with the Church of Jesus Christ on the last part of the way? When we read the letters carefully, we notice that the Lord has to rebuke five churches. Only with two, Smyrna and Philadelphia, does He not find fault. These churches were actual churches at the time of John, but their spiritual state — and even more, the Lord’s message to them — has a deep prophetic significance for our time. For instance, the church at Laodicea is a shocking picture of how things are today, on the last part of the way. For this reason, we will concern ourselves now with these seven churches.

In the letter to the church at Philadelphia, the important verses are 7, 8 and 12: “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true…I know thy works…thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name…him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.” What was the secret of the church at Philadelphia, that the Lord did not find anything in her to criticize? The answer is of extraordinary importance for us.

What the Lord Is Looking for Then and Now

Jesus Christ was the central point in the church at Philadelphia, which the Lord expressed with the words, “Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word.” The NIV translates this verse the following way: “I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.” What a tremendous message this contains for Christians who are on the last part of the way!

When we compare the individual letters to the churches, we notice that the exalted Lord names the works of some churches, yet to the church in Philadelphia He says, “I know thy works.” He then adds something that He could say of no other church, “You have little strength, yet you have kept my word and not denied my name.” This is what is important to the Lord. This is a clear reference to the fact that we should overcome in these endtimes, in spite of all our troubles.

Who Can Overcome?

Born-again people who have Christ at the center of their hearts can overcome. How can we make Christ the center of our lives? By keeping His Word. If the Word of God is the absolute center of our focus, we have Jesus in the center of our lives. His words will not pass away (Matthew 24:35), and He Himself is the Word (compare John 1:1-2 and Revelation 19:13).

Christ in us (Colossians 1:27) is not a matter of feeling, but of faith. How much contact do we have with the revealed Word of God? Are we doers of it and not mere readers of it (compare James 1:22-25)? Paul admonished us in Colossians 3:16 to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Those who take this to heart will experience Christ richly.

The Great Difference

If we had had to judge the church at Ephesus at that time, we would surely have concluded that we had found an almost perfect assembly. Judging by appearances, it had everything one could expect of a local church. Even the exalted Lord confirmed this: “I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted” (Revelation 2:2-3).

The members of the church at Ephesus labored for the sake of Jesus, were patient, put the gift of the discernment of spirits into practice successfully, and unmasked liars. The church there bore burdens for Jesus’ sake and did not become weary. And yet the Lord found the most important thing lacking in this church: love for Him. For this reason, He had to issue the warning, “Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love” (verse 4). What is a “first love”? What is the difference between the church at Ephesus and that at Philadelphia?

We do not find any of the good points of the Ephesians in the Philadelphians. On the contrary, the Lord speaks of “little strength” at Philadelphia. The Lord could praise the church at Philadelphia for having “kept the word of my patience.” These words of the exalted Lord made her stand out, and made her quite different from the other churches. Why is it so important to keep the Word in the eyes of the Eternal God? Because this is connected with genuine love for Him. The Lord Jesus said this in John 14:23-24: “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.” Those who do not keep the words of Jesus do not love Him. Therefore, it is clear that the almost-perfect church at Ephesus was lacking adherence to His Word.

Foundation of a Good Relationship

Let us take the marriage between a man and a woman as an example of a relationship. It is of prime importance that the man listens to the woman and the woman listens to the man. Both should have the chance to say what is in their hearts. It is the same with the Lord Jesus. If I truly love Him, I will see that He can tell me what is in His heart. In other words, I keep His Word by letting the word of Christ dwell in me richly (see Colossians 3:16). Prayer also belongs to this relationship, which is my answer to Him. What is more important? That I listen to God or that He listens to me? Should I not let God speak to me through His Word in the Bible before I can speak to Him? Do you read the Word of God?

Other Churches Found Lacking

The Lord also revealed bad things about the otherwise blessed churches at Pergamos and Thyatira. He did not begin by mentioning the negatives, however; He first acknowledged thestrengths of the churches. For instance, He said to the church at Pergamos, “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth” (Revelation 2:13). And He said to the church at Thyatira, “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first” (Revelation 2:19).

Certainly these were wonderful encouragements for the churches, whose members were being persecuted for their faith. But unfortunately the same evil was present in both assemblies: they tolerated sects. Therefore, the Lord addressed the church at Pergamos with this message, “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate” (Revelation 2:14-15). And to the church at Thyatira He said, “Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols” (Revelation 2:20).

Sects and false teachings find a foothold in Christian churches when the Word of God is put aside. Many times, for example, the Word of God may be somewhere in the foreground. But then a text is taken out of its context and a false teaching is then built upon it. That paves the way for a sect to arise within a church. Only when we have the whole Word of God and keep it in its context, will we be intolerant of sectarian influences.

Dead While Alive

The Word of God was no longer being kept in the church at Sardis as well. Therefore, the exalted Lord said to her, “I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Revelation 3:1).

When is a church or an individual believer spiritually dead? When the Holy Spirit is only on a back-burner or not active at all, when He is quenched or grieved. Therefore, the Bible warns us to “Quench not the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19), and “Grieve not the Holy Spirit with which ye were sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).

What are the consequences when we have quenched the working of the Holy Spirit in our life? What does it mean when the Holy Spirit is grieved? This is very tragic. For a child of God, it means the withdrawal of the Word of God. In other words, the Word of Christ can no longer dwell richly in us. Those who through sin (“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin,” Romans 14:23),quench or grieve the Holy Spirit rob themselves of the Word of God. How? The Lord Jesus said Himself concerning the working of the Holy Spirit, “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:13-14). Here we see something about the tool with which the Holy Spirit works in believers. He never used any other tool than the Word of Christ. That is why the Lord said, “He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.” And this is how the Holy Spirit works up to the present day. He uses the Word of Christ, our entire Bible, to do His work in the children of God.

Those who quench the working of the Holy Spirit, then, through some kind of sin, or who even grieve Him, are undermining the working of the Holy Spirit by taking His tool away, and thereby closing the door to Him. The inevitable result is spiritual death. The shocking words to the church at Sardis should be a warning to us: “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and artdead.” How many Christians in the world today have no relationship with the Word of God because they have quenched the Holy Spirit or grieved Him? It is not possible for them to keep the words of Jesus. If there is anything in your life that cannot stand before the Lord, then bring it to the cross as quickly as possible. If you do not do this, then the Word of Christ can no longer dwell in you richly.

A Key Characteristic of a Born-Again Person

The absolute necessity for the Church on the last part of the way is to keep the Word of Christ under all circumstances, to let it dwell in us richly (Colossians 3:16), even if we have only a little strength. This is the only reason the Lord does not rebuke the church at Philadelphia, and gives her an open door that nobody can close (Revelation 3:8).

Only when we hold fast to the words of Jesus do we prove that we have our first love, and only in this way will we be kept from the influences of sects and have one of the most important characteristics of a true child of God. In His high-priestly prayer, the Lord Jesus said to His Father, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word” (John 17:6). Do you have this characteristic?

Many churches today, for obvious reasons, call themselves “Philadelphia.” What a responsibility their name carries! In those days, the church at Philadelphia was prepared under all circumstances, in great weakness, to hold fast to the Word of God and to keep it, and this means more than we imagine. It means that we accept the entire Word of God from beginning to end and accept it as the revealed Word of God. Psalm 119:160 says, “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.”

At that time, the church at Philadelphia kept the entire Word of God although she did not have the whole Bible as we have it today. That is why this church did not have to be rebuked. The Word of God made her blameless and sanctified her. Concerning the sanctifying power of the Word, Paul wrote to Timothy, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Hebrews 4:12 also says, “The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of thejoints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” And the Lord Jesus prayed to His Father, “Sanctify them through the truth: thy word is truth” in John 17:17. It is clear from these statements in Holy Scripture that the church at Philadelphia was blameless because the Holy Spirit was able to sanctify her through the Word.

As children of God, we all want to live sanctified lives. This means, however, that we become rooted in the Scriptures and have to keep the Word of God. Let us allow ourselves to be led deeper into sanctification each day by letting the Scriptures speak to us personally. Even the Psalmist knew of this absolute necessity. He wrote, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Lord Jesus spoke about what we should and should not do with this light: “No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light” (Luke 11:33). Give, therefore, the Word of God, the Bible, a central place in your life. Be a Philadelphian Christian and hold fast to the Word.

Different Names of the Lord

In each of the seven letters, the Lord introduced Himself with a different name. Each name He used relates to the contents of the letter. He introduced Himself to the church at Ephesus with the words, “These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks [churches]” (Revelation 2:1). Because the Lord was no longer in the center in Ephesus, He had to threaten the believers there with the removal of their candlestick.

To the church at Smyrna, the Lord called Himself, “The first and the last, which was dead, and is alive” (Revelation 2:8). Why? Because He said to this church, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

The Lord introduced Himself to the church at Pergamos this way: “These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges” (Revelation 2:12). He chose this description because He had to threaten the sect of the Nicolaitanes that He would destroy them with the sword of His mouth.

The Lord introduced Himself to the church at Thyatira with the words, “These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire” (Revelation 2:18). All the churches were to realize that He is the One who “searches the reins and hearts” (verse 23).

To the church at Sardis the exalted Lord said of Himself, “He that hath the seven Spirits of God” (Revelation 3:1). The Holy Spirit could no longer work there; this church was spiritually dead.

He introduced Himself to the church at Laodicea as “the faithful and true witness.” This complacent, fallen church experienced the faithfulness of the Lord when He invited her, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

Every writer of these letters refers to a significant part of the letter. This is also true of Philadelphia, to whom the Lord introduces Himself as “He that is holy, he that is true” (Revelation 3:7). The Holy Scriptures, the Word of God from beginning to end, sanctify us: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The church at Philadelphia was prepared to be sanctified. She kept the words of Jesus and did not deny His name. So the Lord of this church wrote to her calling Himself, “He that is holy, he that is true.”

It is a biblical truth that the Lord meets us, after His sovereign will, according to our attitude to Him: “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the forward [crooked] thou wilt shew thyself forward [crooked]” (Psalm 18:25-26).

If the Lord came to you today, what would He meet? Are you sanctified daily, by holding fast to the Word of God, keeping it and not denying the name of Jesus, even if you only have a little strength?

In the last book of the Bible, we read the earnest words, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11). This statement occurs in a certain context that we have to look at more closely to really understand. And yet these verses contain the earnest warning that the day will come in which change will no longer be possible. All children of God will remain as they are, either on the day of their death or on the day of the Rapture. Those who have not let themselves be changed with God’s help will no longer have the opportunity. All children of God will one day stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ where all negligence and missed chances will come to the light. This should move our hearts to live in true sanctification (compare 2 Corinthians 5:10).

More than Just Being Saved?

Many born-again Christians live with a false sense of security because they say, “At least I am saved.” Be careful! Not only bliss is awaiting us at our death or at the Rapture. You can also suffer loss: “If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). This truth is probably much more bitter than we imagine. Now is the time of grace, however, for children of God. With the help of the Lord, we can be changed through the Word. It is important that especially on this last part of the way, the Church keeps the Word of God from beginning to end. In this way we will lose nothing of our eternal bliss (compare 2 John 1:8).

It says a lot that the exalted Lord had to say to the faultless church at Philadelphia, “Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” (Revelation 3:11). He was saying to this church, “You are doing well, but take care that it stays that way!”

A Tremendous Promise of Victory

The Lord closes His letter to the church at Philadelphia with the promise, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name” (Revelation 3:12).

Many children of God have asked themselves, “what will I spend eternity doing?” Although we have no idea of this, we can, if we read this promise carefully, surmise the following. Our everlasting life has a very high calling: to praise God the Father and Jesus the Lamb.

The different names on the pillars in the temple of God are full of mysteries, but we can one day be such pillars if we overcome: “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.” Think of the temple of Solomon: “And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz” (1 Kings 7:21). Jachin means, “He shall establish” and Boaz means, “In it is strength.” These two pillars stood at that time in Solomon’s temple for the glory of the Almighty. Just as these two pillars once were, so children of God can one day be if they lead a life of victory: “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God.”

Who would not like to be such a pillar that may bear the glory of God and the Lamb in all eternity? Take heed, however, for this promise is only given to “Philadelphia” Christians who, with the Lord’s help, lead a life of victory by keeping the Word of God under all circumstances, particularly on this last part of the way for the Church of Jesus Christ. Are you prepared?

MidnightCall Magazine

August 2010

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