A Church Without A light
The book of Revelation began with seven letters to seven churches. Seven is a symbolic and representative number used in the scripture to indicate a period of time, a time of repetition, such as seven days is a week, a period of time that will repeat itself as long as time exist. It signifies the fullness of and a marker that indicates the completeness of the works of God. If man is involved, then the number seven is a time of testing and it requires, and is indicative of, an act of faith. Joshua was required to march around the walls of Jericho seven times; Naaman was required to wash in the dirty river of Jordan seven times. Now, if we can view the seven churches as representative churches, then we can see the history of the church unfold and the message that is passed down to the church of today. If we refuse to accept these churches as representative churches, and the significance of the use of the number seven then we are justifying the changing and polluted messages that are being preached in many of the churches today.
The seven churches named in the second and third chapter of Revelation represent the churches throughout the church age. They are representative churches, chosen by the spirit because of certain characteristics typical of the character of the church, not only in the day when John wrote, but on down through the ages until the church is caught up to meet their Lord in the air. These seven churches represent periods of time clearly defined in both sacred and secular history.
There are rhetorical questions that we must ask concerning the church of today. These questions are asked as a means of self deliberation. It is an attempt to expose the inner doubts over matters pertaining to the marriage between the church, the government and the road that the church and humanity has chosen In today’s self defining society. Asking oneself (or rhetorically asking one's readers) might be the catalyst that shines a ray of light on the best or appropriate way to approach a confusing subject. There is a failure on the part of the church as a group to come together and present a united front against the Devil. The church that Jesus spoke so fondly of, the church that Paul pleaded with, that church has split into more than 30,000 denominations worldwide, each containing varying rules, laws, taboos, rituals, commandments, and doctrines. Simple rhetorical questions, in search of a startling truth of such a confusing entity as each group proclaim to have found the perfect way. There must be a logical answer.
To facilitate a deeper understanding of the Word of God, when asking questions we must be prepared for an answer that do not fit our indoctrinated narrative. It is only through that approach we will find the truth. I ask you to seriously entertain a few questions, as true knowledge can only be obtained through the asking of questions. Keep reading and prepair to be shocked. We know Revelation is not the Revelation of John. Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: It was sent to the church to put their mind at ease and answer all of the questions pertaining to the coming Kingdom.
Matthew 25:1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. This event seems to coincide with 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17) and is a type of reward ceremony for the righteous only. Is there scripture proof that states, only the Bride of Christ will be a part of his kingdom? John 3:29 refers to another group known as the friend of the bridegroom. Revelation speaks of different groups and huge numbers. I am inclined to believe that there is a deeper message hidden in this parable and that the true message is often overlooked for the sakes of motivating and emotionalizing. For further enlightenment, read, "The Five Judgments", a five part study.
Nearly all religious scholars agree that the church is depicted within the Holy Scripture as the bride of Christ. We also know that five were wise, and five were foolish. Five were caught up or went in with the bridegroom and five were left behind to endure tribulation.
Visualize the church as a bride. In a marriage ceremony the “bride” imply a special closeness to the “bridegroom”. “Bride” is used as a metaphor within the scripture to depict this special closeness that the church have with the “Lord of the household”, or Jesus Christ which is referred to as “the bridegroom”. The bride enjoys a special position in the building of a marriage and home, the same as with the kingdom. For most it is easy to relate to a marriage ceremony and how the bride, full of joy, will have spent her time preparing for the day of her marriage. A true bride will not be distracted and will proceed with oneness of purpose, whereas a false bride will be filled with pretense and her concerns will be more about herself than the position that she is about to enter. After the completion of the bridal ceremony the bride and the groom is transformed into a single entity, they are no longer two but one. Jesus often used the marriage ceremony to describe what the position of the church was to the establishment of the Kingdom.
The Kingdom of Heaven is one of the least preached about subjects, yet it is the cornerstone of our religious heritage. Somewhere along the way we have strayed away from the true concept of the Kingdom of Heaven and replaced it with our concept of Heaven. It is impossible to understand the word of God based upon a flawed concept of Heaven. The Catholic Pope, leader of one of the largest denominations of Christianity says he can only “hope” that he will go to heaven when he dies. He doesn’t know for sure. A statement of this type does not inspire “faith”. Western authors speak of Heaven as a place where we go and sit on clouds. Yet, the scripture speaks of the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth in simple terms. Scholars have used long and confusing words to define the Kingdom and the knowledge of the Kingdom has decreased. Jesus came as a broker of a plan of salvation, he preached the Gospel of the Kingdom, saying, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand”.
What has been cast aside is the knowledge that a kingdom is a form of government. There is a King and there are those who have been selected to rule with the King. In the scripture these are referred to as the elect of God. Then there is the army, those who will fight with the King when he return to establish his Kingdom. A problem arises when we attempt to combine the church, the elect of God and the 'number that no man could number' within the same group of people. There are many different positions available in the kingdom the same as in an earthly kingdom. There is also the cabinet positions that include the four and twenty elders. Mark 10:37-40 tells the story of John and James asking for special position.
Jesus attempted to give us a clear insight into the establishment of the Kingdom in Matthew, chapter 25. A complete reading of the chapter will provide an insight into the positions offered in the kingdom. In Matthew 22, he seems to be speaking of a selection process. Matthew 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Therefore, when the Bible speaks of the Kingdom of God or The Kingdom of Heaven, it is unlikely that he is speaking of a place where we sit on clouds, sing songs and shout Holy, Holy all day long. The Bible supports the idea that Jesus is coming back to establish his Kingdom, here on earth after it has been renovated by fire. This is unacceptable to mankind, because he views his own ruler ship as being perpetual.
The Book of Revelation began with Jesus’s message to the churches that is often overlooked. Chapter 1 thru 3 is filled with warnings and exhortations, and John sees Jesus walking among the “candlesticks”. Chapter 4 began with John being summoned by a trumpet to to come on up. Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. The rest of the Book of Revelation is John’s view from Heaven, the church is not mentioned again as being on earth.
Now, in conclusion lets pose the rhetorical questions. Have the event depicted in in John’s vision, Revelation 4:1 already taken place? Remember, Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which “must shortly” come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: ‘Must shortly come to pass’; seems to indicate that these events were scheduled to begin during John’s lifetime or soon after. Is it possible that the event portrayed in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17) took place before the church became embroiled in confusion and splits and the tribulation has already begun? Are the trumpets of God sounding and the world is ignoring them?
The Bible promotes the thesis through recurring prophecies that in the End of Times, Christ will be rejected by an entire generation. This rejection is evident today as the social media expands and more and more people are voicing their objection to God’s Word. Our leaders, including the Supreme Court have cast aside the teaching of the Bible and proceeded to enact laws that are contrary to God’s word. Members of our younger generation respond with indignation and proclaim the Bible to be an outdated book filled with hate. The indoctrination of old that once held this nation together is being shredded. The fear of God that once prevailed throughout the land has disappeared.
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The Tribulation
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