Let us explore a strange scenario, one that many Christians are not prepared to discuss or even accept. The problem with this scenario is our indoctrinated belief concerning the church and its place in the makeup of the Kingdom to come. The light of the church that once shined brightly before the pollution of Constantine has dimed as men of skill find new ways to 'lord' over the sheep of God's pasture. When we factor in the confusion of Christianity it would seem as if the candlestick that Jesus spoke off has been removed.
In a moment of pious contemplation, Jesus spoke to the multitude; "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." (Matthew 5:14) He cautions them further in; Matthew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. In Revelation, John saw Jesus walking among the candlestick, proclaiming a message to the churches. "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." (Revelation 2:4-5) This is a threat and it would seem as if Jesus carried out.
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 exists. It signifies the fullness of and a marker that indicates the completeness of the works of God. If the 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 passed down to the organized churches 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 preached in many of today's churches.
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 down through the ages of the church. These seven churches represent periods clearly defined in both sacred and secular history.
There are rhetorical questions that we must ask concerning the church of today. These questions are 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 have chosen in the self-defining society of today. 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. Beginning in the fourth century there was 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 today has split into more than 30,000 denominations sects or groups worldwide, each containing varying rules, laws, taboos, rituals, commandments, and doctrines. Remember, simple rhetorical questions, in search of a startling truth of such a confusing entity, as each group proclaims to have found the perfect way. There must be a logical answer.
To facilitate a deeper understanding of the Word of God, there are questions we should ask ourselves. When asking questions we must be prepared for an answer that does not fit our indoctrinated belief. It is only through that approach we will find the truth. I ask you to entertain a few questions, as true knowledge can only be obtained through the asking of questions. We know Revelation is not the Revelation of John. "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:" (Revelation 1:1) It was sent to the church, not to put their mind at ease but to highlight the error of their ways.
"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." (Matthew 25:1) This event seems to coincide with 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17) and is a type of reward ceremony for the righteous only. To prepare you for what I am about to reveal ask yourself this question. 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 these scriptures and that the true message is often overlooked for the sakes of motivating and emotionalizing.
Nearly all religious scholars agree that the church is depicted within the Holy Scripture as the bride of Christ. But, how can this be? How can the bride of Christ be so fragmented and confused? We also know that in the parable, five were wise, and five were foolish. Five were caught up or went in with the bridegroom and five were left behind.
Visualize the church as a bride. In a marriage ceremony, the “bride” implies a special closeness to the “bridegroom”. “Bride” is used as a metaphor within the scripture to depict this special closeness that the church has 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 the 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. THe prenuptial agreement is more important than the ceremony. After the completion of the bridal ceremony the bride and the groom are 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 on 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 does not 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”. The Jews rejected the message.
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 a Kingdom, there are those who rule and there are those who ruled over. In the scripture, those who rule are referred to as the elect of God. Then there is the army or Angels who will fight with the King when he returns to establish his Kingdom. A problem arises when we attempt to combine the church, the Jews, 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 a 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. "For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:14) "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." (Matthew 25:23) 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 humankind because it views its own rulership as being everlasting.
The Book of Revelation began with Jesus' message to the churches that are 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 come on up. "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." (Revelation 4:1) 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 of this chapter let us pose several questions. Have the event depicted in in John’s vision, Revelation 4:1 already taken place? Remember, "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:" (Revelation 1:1) ‘Must shortly come to pass’; seems to indicate that these events were scheduled to begin during John’s lifetime or soon after. There are those who teach the church will not go through the tribulation. Is it possible that the event portrayed in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-17) took place before the church became embroiled in confusion and splits. Maybe the tribulation has already begun and the trumpets of God are sounding but the world is ignoring them. I challenge you to study and reflect on these questions.
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, and the church said "Amen". 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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