Verse by Verse Part 25 The Seven Churches

Verse by Verse – Part 25 The Seven Churches of Revelation Rev 2 -3

The Cross the Very Power of God � 1 Corinthians 1: 18 -31 �Romans 5: 6 -11 To the Overcomer � 1 John 5: 10 -11, 5: 1 -5 �Revelation 12: 10 -11 (Pass Out Communion) � 1 Corinthians 11: 23 -26

Keep You From the Hour of Trial �Revelation 3: 10 “Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep (tēréō) you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. ” �Tēréō: a guard, maintain (preserve); keep intact. �John 17: 15 “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you keep them (tēréō) from the evil one. ”

3) To Him Who Overcomes �Ephesus: Rev 2: 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. Rev 22: 1 -2 b �Smyrna: Rev 2: 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. Rev 20: 14 -15

3) To Him Who Overcomes �Pergamum: Rev 2: 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.

What is the Hidden Manna? �Some say that we receive the hidden manna in this life in the form of the hidden closet life with Christ. John 6: 54 -58 �I believe it also references the glorious riches of Christ (the Bread of Life) Himself revealed to us in magnificent ways in the Kingdom.

What is the White Stone? �In ancient Greece, jury members would cast a white stone to signify an acquittal, whereas a black stone proclaimed the defendant guilty. The weakness of this interpretation is that the stones cast in the courts did not have names inscribed on them. Got. Questions. org

White Stone �One of the better-accepted explanations of the white stone has to do with the high priest’s breastplate, which contained twelve stones. Each of these stones had the name of one of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved on it (Exodus 28: 21). As he ministered in the temple, the high priest bore the names of God’s people into God’s presence. In the same way, the “white stone” with the believer’s name written on it could be a reference to our standing in God’s presence. Got. Questions. org

White Stone �The best theory regarding the meaning of the white stone probably has to do with the ancient Roman custom of awarding white stones to the victors of athletic games. The winner of a contest was awarded a white stone with his name inscribed on it. This served as his “ticket” to a special awards banquet. According to this view, Jesus promises the overcomers entrance to the eternal victory celebration in heaven. The “new name” most likely refers to the Holy Spirit’s work of conforming believers to the holiness of Christ (see Romans 8: 29; Colossians 3: 10). Got. Questions. org

3) To Him Who Overcomes �Thyatira: Rev 2: 26 -29 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations — `He will rule them with an iron sceptre; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’ — just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

The Morning Star �I will also give him the morning star. “Jesus Christ is described as the ‘morning star’ in 2 Peter 1: 19 and He identifies Himself as ‘the bright morning star’ in Revelation 22: 16”

Jesus and satan, both Morning Stars? �The first reference to the morning star as an individual is in Isaiah 14: 12: “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” (NIV). The KJV and NKJV both translate “morning star” as “Lucifer, son of the morning. ” Got. Questions. org

Jesus and satan, both Morning Stars? �It is clear from the rest of the passage that Isaiah is referring to Satan’s fall from heaven (Luke 10: 18). So in this case, the morning star refers to Satan. In Revelation 22: 16, Jesus unmistakably identifies Himself as the morning star. Why are both Jesus and Satan described as the “morning star? ” Got. Questions. org

Jesus and satan, both Morning Stars? �It is interesting to note that the concept of the “morning star” is not the only concept that is applied to both Jesus and Satan. In Revelation 5: 5, Jesus is referred to as the Lion of the tribe of Judah. In 1 Peter 5: 8, Satan is compared to a lion, seeking someone to devour. Got. Questions. org

Jesus and satan, both Morning Stars? �The point is this, both Jesus and Satan, to a certain extent, have similarities to lions. Jesus is similar to a lion in that He is the King, He is royal and majestic. Satan is similar to a lion in that he seeks to devour other creatures. That is where the similarities between Jesus, Satan, and lions end, however. Jesus and Satan are like lions in very different ways. Got. Questions. org

Jesus and satan, both Morning Stars? �The idea of a “bright morning star” is a star that outshines all the others, and Jesus is the One who is called “bright. ” Satan was a morning star. Jesus, as God incarnate, the Lord of the universe, is the BRIGHT and morning star. Jesus is the most holy and powerful “light” in all the universe. . Got. Questions. org � 2 Corinthians 11: 14 And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

Jesus and satan, both Morning Stars? �So, while both Jesus and Satan can be described as “morning stars, ” in no sense is this equating Jesus and Satan [as the same or bothers, as Mormons believe]. Satan is a created being. His light only exists to the extent that God created it. Jesus is the light of the world (John 9: 5). Only Jesus’ light is “bright” and self-existent. Satan may [have been] a morning star, but he is only a poor imitation of the one true bright morning star, Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Got. Questions. org

We are meant to be Lights �Satan was meant to be a morning star “like” Jesus, just as we are meant to be: �Matthew 5: 14 -16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

3) To Him Who Overcomes �Sardis: Rev 3: 5 -6 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.

3) To Him Who Overcomes �Philadelphia: Rev 3: 12 -13 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar [1 Peter 2: 4 -5, 2: 9 -10] in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God[Rev 21: 1 -4] ; and I will also write on him my new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

3) To Him Who Overcomes �Laodicea: Rev 3: 21 -22 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ”

Next Sermon in this Series �Next week we will be looking at the Revelation 4: “The Throne in Heaven”