Revelation 3: Hope in Jesus

By Christopher C. Randolph
Jesus is the only Way to eternal life. Believe in Him and be saved.

Jesus is the only Way to eternal life. Believe in Him and be saved.

To the Church in Sardis

“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. 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. (Revelation 3:1-2, ESV)

The church in Sardis has grown cold. It is known for its spirituality, for being alive in Christ, but its works belie this appearance. Our LORD says that Sardis’ works are “incomplete”.  This tells us that it is doing good works but not performing the works that God is calling it to do.  It is at least, not performing these works to the extent that God has called it to. The Lord goes on to commend a few in this church for their faithfulness but just a few.

This is called for this church (and us) to repent; turning away from what we are doing, no matter how holy these things may appear, and remember what God has called it (and us), specifically, to do. In that lies our hope:

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. (Revelation 3:5, ESV)

We, (along with the church in Sardis, need to turn back to Christ and to not rest on what we have done or think we have done in the name of our LORD.  Going through the motions and acting “churchy” doesn’t cut it by a long shot. But, by walking once again with Jesus, we have hope.

To the Church in Philadelphia

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. (Revelation 3:8, ESV)

In contrast with the church in Sardis, we are given a picture of Philadelphia.  This church is hot.  The fire remains strong in this church.  Not only does it have great faith marked by its patient endurance (verse 10), God commends its works as well. He promises to protect them from their adversaries and in the times of trouble that are surely to come. Those of this church who remain faithful through all that will befall them, will be made “pillars” in the temple of God where they will remain  forever and be held up as examples to the people of God (verse 12).  Our faith must produce works, and our works must proceed from the will of our God. That is the “key” to living with and for God.

To the Church in Laodicea

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16, ESV)

Worst of all is the lukewarm church. This is a church (or person) who neither attempts to discern the Truths of God nor performs works.  It calls itself a church (or a Christian) but doesn’t care enough to take the faith seriously in word or deed. It’s not cold because it acts how it thinks it should and does what it thinks it should and maybe it has always been this way. It’s not hot because there is no “fire” for Christ but there never really was any fire to begin with. This church (and these people) need to seek God and the Way He is willing to show them. This is their hope: to open that door and allow Christ into their lives and they will not only be pillars of the Church but will find places on the very throne of God!

Conclusion

No matter where one finds one’s self in Christ’s continuum of faith, hot, cold or in between, there is hope until the end and His name is Jesus Christ.  We need to repent, turning back to Jesus.  We each need to seek His guidance daily through prayer and by reading His Word. Then, having received His Word and His guidance, we each need to act on them, completely. And I do mean we.  I include my self in this as much or more than any reader of this blog.

Be blessed and a blessing,

Christopher

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9 thoughts on “Revelation 3: Hope in Jesus”

  1. “This tells us that it is doing good works but not performing the works that God is calling it to do.” I’ve just read an article from Outreach Magazine about incarnational Christianity which talked about “we’re not need driven. We’re call driven.” About learning how to listen to the Spirit to cooperate with what the Spirit is doing. That doing good things, as good as they are, is not necessarily doing Christ’s mission that He is calling you to do. Eye-opening.

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  3. Thoughts on Revelation 3:8 … I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, Yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

    The Apostle John wrote from prison, while living in exile on The Isle of Patmos about 90 AD, the contents of a dream given to him by angels. The Revelation Of Jesus Christ, which foretells those things which must shortly come to pass, these being presented in Revelation 1:1; meaning a series of events that once they begin, as they did on October 23, 2013, when Jesus Christ, acting in dispensation, that is in the administration of all things economic, pivoted the world from the paradigm and age of liberalism into that of authoritarianism by releasing the First Horseman of The Apocalypse, presented in Revelation 6:1-2. The Rider on the White Horse, who has a bow, yet no arrows, symbolizing his ride over the world, to effect a bloodless global coup d’état, is transferring sovereignty from nation states to regional nannycrats and regional bodies such as the ECB, by calling the Interest Rate on the US Ten Year Note, ^TNX, higher from 2.48%, thereby destroying fiat money.

    Liberalism was characterized by monetary inflation, that is credit inflation, seen in Aggregate Credit, AGG, increasing in value, and currency inflation, seen in Major World Currencies, DBV, and Emerging Market Currencies, CEW, likewise rising in nominal value, fueling economic growth and global trade, where the banker regime financialized nation state fiat money.

    Authoritarianism is characterized by monetary deflation, that is credit deflation, where Aggregate Credit, AGG, World Government Bonds, BWX, European Debt, EU, fall in value, and currency deflation, Major World Currencies, DBV, Emerging Market Currencies, CEW, decrease in value, stimulating investors to derisk out of fiat wealth, that is World Stocks, VT, as is seen in the Risk Off ETN, OFF, rising in value, which terminates global economic growth and global trade, and introduces economic recession, where the beast regime of regional governance and totalitarian collectivism rules via diktat money.

    The Netherlands, EWN, was a Euro Yen, EUR/JPY, currency carry trade darling; now investors consider the nation and its companies, AEGON, AEG, ASML Holding, ASML, Reed Elsevier, ENL, ING Group, ING, Koninklijke Philips Electronics, PHG, and Vistaprint, VPRT, to be dogs and are selling them strongly. The sweet spot in life under liberalism was experiencing the liberality of the world central bankers monetary authority, and getting leveraged up, on debt trades and currency carry trades, and experiencing economic life in a socialist economy.

    As Jesus Christ acts in dispensation, matures, perfects, and completes authoritarianism, through releasing all of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, seen in Revelation 6:1-8, and bringing it to its zenith through debt servitude, there will be an ever increasing crushing economic austerity as is foretold in Daniel 7:7.

    The benefit for the believer of being aware of, seeing, and experiencing the ride of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, is that one comes to experience the worst of life’s hardships, enabling God’s salvation to take hold fully and finally.

    One’s grace for receiving the full salvation of God comes from practicing His Word in attitude, speech and action, as well as respecting His presence and authority, as presented in Revelation 3:8.

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    • The interpretation of the symbolism may or may not be accurate to some extent. The inherent problem in all such attempts at attempts is that they are never complete. A case in point is the Messianic prophecies. The Jews thought that they comprehended what they meant. They did but then again, they didn’t. So, when Jesus did not fit their preconceived Messianic vision, they rejected Him.

      Which is precisely why I did not include much specific interpretation of the symbolism in this series on Revelation. It seems better to focus on the the more important faith aspects facing the Church in these days which appear to be closing in on the end.

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