Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. I'll sing a song before I have my message. You pray. All of grace is my story, all the way from earth to glory. Since by grace he lifted me from sin and woe. Living grace he has extended on him. My heart depended and He'll give new grace When it's my time to go Grace not yet discovered Grace not yet uncovered Grace from His bountiful soul Grace to cross the river Grace to face forever There'll be new grace I've not needed before When the storms of life assail me And my strength begins to fail me Grace will be my anchor in the storm When my heart is faint and weary, And my path seems dark and dreary, Grace will lead me safely to shore. Grace not yet discovered, Grace not yet uncovered, Grace from His bountiful soul. Grace to cross the river. Grace to face forever. There'll be new grace I've not needed before. In the moments of temptation When I face my own frustration Grace will be the strength I need to stand When I stumble, when I falter, Grace will be my faithful altar, And I'll rise to meet the Lord's hand. Grace not yet discovered, Grace not yet uncovered, Grace from his bountiful soul Grace to cross the river Grace to face forever There'll be new grace I've not needed before. Grace not yet discovered. Grace not yet uncovered. Grace from His bountiful soul. Grace to cross the river. Grace to face forever. There'll be new grace I've not needed before. There'll be new grace I've not needed before. Amen. Service for Christ. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. Thank you for tuning in for our Sunday night message tonight as we continue in on our series, The Doomsday Clock. Here in Revelation chapter two, we deal with the messages to the seven churches, the commendation, the correction, and the promise. Here we look at one of the most important key things of the entire chapter of the book of Revelation. Listen to me. the importance of faithfulness and integrity. And out of those seven churches, we'll only be able to talk about four of them in Revelation chapter two, verses one through 29 being a lengthy time to talk about. And so, when we look at the Doomsday Clock series, we get into a message that deals with our current times. Because these prophetic writings, we find ourselves approaching a pivotal moment in history, symbolically represented by that doomsday clock. The concept, first to illustrate the threat of nuclear war that serves as a powerful metaphor for the accelerating countdown to the end of the age and the imminent events leading to the rapture and the marriage supper of the Lamb. So in this series, we begin by examining the first four of the seven churches addressed in Revelation chapter three and three. These early Christian communities were located in Asia Minor. Each received a message from Christ through the Apostle John. And these messages are not just historical artifacts, but they're living letters that hold significant lessons, even for us today. As I give a brief intro, Ephesus, the church at Ephesus, is commended for its hard work and perseverance, but criticized for losing its first love. This church represents the importance of maintaining passion and devotion to Christ and busyness and challenges. Smyrna, the church at Smyrna faces persecution and suffering and it's praised for its faithfulness despite trials and its message highlights the call to remain steadfast and courageous in the face of adversity. Pergram, is the church at Pergamum is noted for its commitment to the faith but is warned about compromising with false teachings and immoral practices and the church's message underscores the danger of blending with worldly values and the need for purity in doctrine and practice. And then Thyatira. The church at Thyatira is recognized for its love and service, but it's admonished for tolerating a false prophetess who leads believers into immorality and adultery, and it speaks to the need for vigilance against corrupt influences and the importance of upholding truth. And so, these messages, though specific to the churches of the first century, they resonate deeply with the conditions of our present world. As we examine these letters, we'll see how they reflect the current state of the global church and the urgency of our times. And so, the countdown and its implications, because when we look at these churches and their messages, we're reminded of an ever-ticking doomsday clock. This symbolic countdown is not just about impending judgment, but also about the approaching fulfillment of divine promises, amen? And so, the clock is ticking toward the rapture, the moment when Christ will call His church to be with Him, escaping the common tribulation that is coming our way, and it will usher in the final stages of God's plan, culminated in the marriage supper of the Lamb, where Christ will unite with His church in eternal celebration. When we look at the how, when we look at the why, when we look at the when, and when we look at the where, the countdown began with the rise of the early church, the unfolding of the prophetic events. And as we approach that culmination of the countdown, the signs of the times reflecting the messages to Smyrna, Ephesus, Pergamum, and Thyatira serve as both a warning and an encouragement, and they guide us to remain faithful and vigilant, true to our calling. And so, as we uncover these insights and prepare our hearts for the exciting and transformative events that lie ahead, the messages to these four churches are not just ancient history. They are urgent calls to action for the modern church, reminding us to stay true, remain steadfast, and anticipate the glorious future that awaits. And so, as we look at chapter 2, the book of Revelation contains messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor addressing their strengths, weaknesses, and calls to repentance. What we see in comparison to today is compromise with worldly values. The churches in Revelation chapter two struggled with compromising their faith due to external pressures such as societal norms and economic incentives. But today's parallel is the modern Christians and churches often face pressures also to conform to those same secular values. Issues like materialism, social acceptance that leads men and women, individuals and churches to compromise on their moral spiritual convictions. Why? Because the truth has been so compromised today. The words have been changed in the media that you're listening to false news every time you watch the news. You're not hearing everything that's going on. Everything that's going on is being hid. It's being kept back because there's someone that's out there like a news agency that doesn't want you to know exactly what's happening all over the world. The government doesn't want you to know what's happening all over the world. And so, the false teaching and the influence, when the churches were dealing with false teachers like Jezebel and Thyatira, who led believers astray with seductive and immoral teachings, Today's parallel in contemporary society, there are many sources of misleading our superficial spiritual guidance. When we look at our media, our television, some of our churches and pastors that are out there, some are not all the way the way that they should. Some are out for more of the prestige and the all of the excitement of having the prestige and money that goes with it. But there's a lot of them out there that they're the most genuine, sincere that you could ever find. And the increase in the proliferation of ideas that dilute and distort our traditional Christian teaches. We also see as our intro of the faithfulness amid persecution, because in the early context, early Christians faced persecution for their faith. The churches were encouraging to remain steadfast despite the hardships. But today, many Christians worldwide, they still face persecution, even in more tolerant societies, there's social pressures and challenges to remain true to one's faith. And so there's a call to genuine faith, even to these churches. of their purity and their superficial practices of complacency. Today, there's often a call for Christians to reflect on the authenticity of their faith, avoiding mere ritualism and focusing on genuine relationships with God. And so, again, the importance of faithfulness and integrity is the number one thing that the churches were encouraged, all of them, they're encouraged to reject compromise. They're encouraged to address false teaching. They're encouraged to endure trials. They're encouraged of repentance, amen. And I'm glad that when we look at Revelation chapter two. Let's open with a word of prayer before we go any further, amen. And as we do, we'll be reading the scripture as we go for the sake of time. Heavenly Father, we come before you with a grateful heart, seeking your wisdom and understanding in the mighty study of the prophetic book of Revelation chapter two. that you have delivered to all of the churches in Revelation, and Lord, that you guide us tonight in our study. Help us to grasp the significance of your words, to apply them to our lives, and may your spirit illuminate our understanding and strengthen our resolve to follow your commands. And all that we do, I pray that it'll change somebody's thinking and bring them closer and bring them in ultimately to the family of God, that their name will be recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life. They'll step out on faith, the substance of things hopeful, the evidence of things not seen, and take you at your word and ask you to be the keeper of their souls and be saved by the marvelous grace and ask forgiveness of their sins from you. And Lord, then Father, they can come into the family of God and have a life that's promised of eternity, forever and ever. Thank you, Father. In Jesus' mighty name, amen. And so, the Apostle John records the letters from Jesus Christ to the seven churches in Asia Minor, and each letter begins with a description of Christ, followed by accommodation, a complaint, a counsel, and a promise. These letters were both encouragements and corrections to the early Christian communities that contained timeless lessons for every one of us as men and women of God today. These messages to the seven churches that we look, because the message to Ephesus, the Orthodox Church, but it was a church that was without love. And so we see that when we look at, first of all, the church at Ephesus, amen, that it was significantly a major city with a rich history, but a church that faced challenges despite its strong doctrinal stance. And so first of all, we see the commendation of the church at Ephesus in verses 1, 2, and 3. The recipients, as the letter is addressed to the Church of Ephesus, the speaker that we'll read in verse 1 is Jesus Christ, who is described as holding the ministers in his hands and walking among the churches. And the commendation in verses 2 and 3, the labor and the work, the church is praised for its diligent work and labor for Christ in verse 2. and patience also in verse two that is recognized for its patient endurance and steadfastness and the rejection of evil the church is commended for not tolerating evil and for testing the false teachers and so the complaint against that church at Ephesus in verse 4, because the commendation was in verses 1, 2, and 3. But the complaint against the church at Ephesus was Revelation chapter 2, verse 4, the loss of warmth and tenderness. The church had lost its initial fervor and intimate relationship with Christ in verse 4. And then also in verse 4, it shifts in its priorities. Members had become more focused on church activities and programs rather than a personal relationship with Christ. And then, not only do we see the commendation in verses 1, 2, and 3 of Ephesus. The complaint against the church at Ephesus in verse 4. But in verses 5, 6, and 7, the counsel and the warning to the church at Ephesus. Because the counsel was in verse 5 that they said, remember, reflect on the past love and devotion. And also in verse 5, they talked about repent, turn away from whatever has caused the loss of love and return to Christ. And also in verse 5, do In other words, perform the works and actions that characterize their first love for Christ. And so the counsel was in verse 5, but the warning was also in verse 5 and verse 6, where there's the removal of the lampstand. Christ warns that if they do not repent, he will remove their lap stand. Doctrine versus love, and the emphasis on the necessity of both doctrinal purity and genuine love for Christ in verse six. And so, not only was there the counsel and warning, verses five, six, seven, the counsel was in verse five, the warning was in verses five and six, but the promise to overcomers was in verse seven. with the access to the tree of life. Overcomers will have the right to eat from the tree of life in verse 7 and citizenship in paradise because the overcomers will be granted access to the paradise of God. And so the message to emphasis highlights the importance of maintaining passionate love for Christ alongside with a doctrinal purity. Despite the commendable work and dedication, the church was warned about the grave consequence of losing their first love. And so, when we look and we realize that from this, amen, of what was taking place, we look and we see that in verse one that the Bible says, under the angel of the church of Ephesus write, these things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand who walketh in the midst of the seven candlesticks. Jesus is holding the leaders of the churches symbolized by the seven stars and he walks among the churches symbolized by the seven golden candlesticks that has a message for the church in Ephesus. He goes on in verse two and he says, I know thy works and thy labor 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. He's telling them Jesus commends the church for their hard work, their patience, and their intolerance of evil, and they've tested those who claim to be apostles, but are not, and they recognize them as being false. But in verse three, and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake, hast labored, and hast not fainted. The church had endured hardships. They had shown patience. They continued to work for Jesus' name without giving up. But in verse 4, King James says, Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. You see, despite their good works, Jesus has something against them. They had lost the love they first had for him and others. And in the King James in verse 5, it says, And so Jesus warns them to remember how far they've fallen and repent and return to their first works, which is love, devotion and if they don't he's going to remove their church the candlestick from its place in the King James version verse 6 but thou but this thou hast that thou hate us the deeds of the Nicolaitans which I also hate you see Jesus acknowledges that the church hates the practices of the Nicolaitans which he also that promoted immoral behavior and false teachings. And so he goes on in the King James version of verse 7. You see here in this verse 7, Jesus calls everyone who is willing to listen to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying to these churches. Those who overcome that remain faithful will be given the right to eat from the tree of life in God's paradise, symbolizing eternal life. And so Ephesus The recipients, the speaker was Jesus Christ. The commendation, their hard work and perseverance. The complaint, they had left their first love in verse 4. The counsel, remember, repent and do the works that you did at first. And the warning in verses 5 and 6, if they do not repent, their lap stand will be removed. And the promise to the overcomers, the right to eat from the tree of life. And then I'm glad that when we look at this, we move right on into the church at Smyrna that faced severe prosecution of persecution from both the community and officials with more severe trials anticipated. Despite the church was faithful to Christ and his mission and no major issues were found within it, it exemplified the idea of church standing firm in its witness amidst the trials. Now the recipients were in verse 8, The church minister, the letters addressed to the minister of the church, emphasizing the minister's responsibility to lead and sustain the church through persecution. The speaker is Jesus Christ, as he is to each of them, identifying himself as the first and last and the one who was dead and is alive again, underscoring his supreme authority. and victory over death. The commendation was in verse 9, through tribulation the church endured severe tribulation and affliction. Poverty, despite being materially poor, they remained spiritually rich. The spiritual wealth, the church was rich in love, joy, peace, and other virtues, but there was slander. They suffered slander, particularly from influential Jews who were described as the synagogue of Satan. And the council, in verse 10, the future persecution, Christ warns of upcoming persecution for 10 days, symbolizing a brief but intense period of a trial. The purpose, the trials were to test and strengthen the believer's faith and to draw them closer to God. And so the believers are encouraged not to fear, but to remain faithful. The promise was in verses 10 and 11. There's a crown of life. Overcomers will receive the reward of eternal life. They will escape from the second death because believers will be spared from that second death, which is eternal separation from God. And so, The name Smyrna means bitter, reflecting the church's experience of suffering and persecution. And Smyrna was known for its pride in its culture and wealth, and so the Jewish persecution, the influential Jews in Smyrna were aggressively persecuting the church, contributing to its suffering. So I'm glad that the faithfulness during the trials of Smyrna underscores the importance of maintaining faithfulness to Christ despite several persecutions. And so, as we look and we realize, in verse eight, is what we just talked about. It's said in the King James, and unto the angel of the church in Smyrna, write these things, saith the first and the last, which was dead and is alive. Jesus is the first and the last. He's the eternal, who was dead but is now alive and has a message for the church in Smyrna. But in verse nine of the King James, it says, I know thy works in tribulation and poverty, but thou art rich, and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. And so, Jesus knows the church's works, their suffering, their poverty. but he reassures them that they're spiritually rich. And he also knows about those who claim to be Jews but are not, and they are actually serving Satan. We look at the King James in verse 10 that says, fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. And so in verse 10, Jesus tells them not to be afraid of the suffering that they're about to face. The devil will imprison some of them to test them, and they will face persecution for a short time, symbolized by about 10 days. But if they remain faithful even to the point of death, they'll receive the crown of life, which is eternal life. In verse 11 of the King James, the Bible says, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Jesus, in verse 11, repeats the call to listen to the Holy Spirit's message. Those who overcome will not be hurt by that second death, which is eternal separation from God. And so, Smyrna, the second church of the seven, Here, the speaker in verse eight is Jesus Christ. The commendation, reminding you and reflecting again so that you get this as if I repeat it to where you understand what I'm talking about. The commendation, they're suffering and they're poverty, yet they are rich, he says in verse nine to them. And so the counsel in verse 10 is do not fear suffering, be faithful unto death. And then verse 11 is the promise, the crown of life to those who overcome in verses 10 and 11. And so, we look, and as we get into the next one, is the church at Pergamos, the corrupted church that is married to the world. Now, we look and realize that the worldliness today corrupts a church. There's four causes of church corruption. Participation in worldly functions, allowing worldly activities within the church and members' homes, accepting members who haven't truly repented, and allowing false teaching and preaching. So the recipients are in verse 12 that we'll read in a few minutes. The letter is addressed again to the minister of the church. The minister, he's responsible for leading a life of holiness, guiding the congregation accordingly. The speaker also in verse 12 is again the same speaker, Jesus Christ, describing as having a sharp two-edged sword, his word that delivers the message. And when we look that that Word of God symbolizes the sharpness of God's Word in convicting and separating sin, the power and judgment of His Word over life and death. That commendation in verse 13, that the church is commended for loyalty to Christ's name despite a corrupt environment, maintaining a pure doctrine, and standing firm in persecution, exemplified by Antipas, a martyr. The complaint was in verses 14 and 15, where the church is criticized for following the doctrine of Balaam, which is mixing religion with worldliness and accepting false teaching and practices, again, of the Nicoladians. The counsel was in verse 16, that the church is advised to repent, and deal with the worldly influences, that they require true repentance before acceptance, discipline in those who refuse to change. The warning is in verse 16, that Christ warns of his coming to fight against the worldly. Only the unrepentant will face punishment, not the faithful. And so the promise in verse 17, to the overcomers, given the right to eat the hidden manna, the spiritual substance from Christ, given a white stone with a new name, symbolizing admission to heaven, praise the mighty name of Jesus. And so, when we look at the context of Pergamos, Pergamos was a city of majestic and royal appearance, a cultural and religious center with significant temples and altars, the imperial and administer center of Asia, known for supporting imperial worship and requiring public acknowledgment of seizure as lord there. And so, when we look at Pergamos and the message that it gave, amen. And so, we get right on into the King James Version, verse 12, that the Bible says, and to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, these things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges. Jesus holds the sharp double-edged sword, symbolizing his powerful and truthful word of God that has a message for the church in Pergamos. And then in verse 13, he tells us of the King James. I know thy works, 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. Jesus, according to verse 13, knows the church's works, that they live in a place filled with evil, symbolized by Satan's seat. But despite this, they've remained faithful to Jesus' name, and they have not denied their faith, even when one of their members, Antipas, was martyred. And so, in Revelation chapter two, verse 14, in the King James, but I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there then that hold the doctrine of Balaam who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit fornication. Here we see Jesus telling us in verse 14 that Jesus has a complaint against the church because some members were following the teachings of Balaam who led the Israelites into sin by encouraging them to eat food sacrificed to idols and commit In the King James of verse 15, so hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicoladians, which thing I hate. You see, in verse 15, the church also had members who followed the teachings of the Nicoladians, which Jesus hates because they promoted the immoral behavior and the false teachings. And then we see verse 16 of the King James that says, listen, Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. Jesus warns them to repent, and if they don't, he's gonna come quickly, he's gonna fight against those who are sinning with the power of his word, amen. And so, as we look at verse 17 of the King James, he says, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it." And so Jesus calls everyone who is willing to listen, to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches. Those who overcome will receive that hidden manna, that spiritual nourishment, and a white stone with a new name on it, known only to the one who receives it, symbolizing a special personal relationship with God. And so, the Pergamos, the church in Pergamos in verse 12, Jesus was speaking. The commendation that they held fast in Jesus' name despite all of the challenges in verse 13. Verses 14 and 15, the complaint they tolerate the false doctrine and the worldliness. The counsel was to repent and turn away from their errors in verse 16. And also a warning in verse 16 that Jesus will come quickly, fight against them with a sword of his mouth. And there was a promise though in verse 17 that the hidden manna and a white stone with a new name to the overcomers, he says in verse 17. That main point, as we look, we see that as we move on a little bit further to our last church, we look at the very last church and that is compromise can destroy a church. And so, as we look and we realize that from that last church that we will see, amen, that will come to us, and that church that we see, amen, that out of these seven, amen, that we have of the seven churches of Revelation, amen, the only four of them that we'll be talking about, and I'm glad that through those we see Ephesus, we see Smyrna, we see Pergamos, amen, and we see Thyatira. Out of these four that we talk about, here as we look at verse 18, of that church of Thyatira and the compromise of it because of popularity, promotions, and possessions. We see in verse 18 the recipients, the audience, the letters addressed to the minister of the church emphasizing the seriousness of the issue of that compromise. And again in verse 18, the speaker is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The attributes that eyes like flame of fire, Christ sees all the actions, all the intentions. Feet like brass, Christ judges and crushes false teaching and compromise and the accommodation for the works in verse 9. The church activities is there's works of love and service, evangelism, aiding the needy, works of faith and endurance, overcoming opposition, making sacrifices, growth and expansion in the ministries. But the complaint they allowed Jezebel to teach in verses 20 and 21. The false prophetess Jezebel, a false teacher that was tolerated in the church, she promoted false teaching including tolerance of sin and immorality, seduction to immorality, encouraging believers to engage in sinful activities, idolatry, participation in the social functions involving false gods, and warning to the compromising and the corrupt, in verses 22 and 23. The judgment, again, Jezebel is cast on the bed of sickness, likely a disease as a result of her actions, and the followers suffer severe tribulation. The children of Jezebel, the punishment or death, the chastisement or eternal judgment, and repentance, that Christ still offers a chance to repent. Ain't you glad that no matter what you've done, Christ will give you a chance to repent and come into the family of God. But if you refuse Him, And if you continue to refuse him, that's blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. And that's the only thing that you cannot be forgiven of. Because when you turn down the opportunity to come into the family of God, and God keeps knocking at your heart, and all of a sudden you keep on pushing him away and you refuse him, that's a blasphemy. You say, I refuse you, Lord. I refuse you, God. I do not want any part of you. And you blasphemed against the Holy Ghost because you have refused him. And that's the only thing that's not forgiven. and that'll take you into the depths of hell. And so, the counsel to the faithful in verses 24 and 25, he says, hold fast, remain committed and steadfast, avoid compromising with worldly pleasures and sin. And then the promises to the overcomers in verse 26, 27, 28, and 29, we see the rewards that I'll read all of these in just a minute but I'm giving you a preview of everything so that it's very simple that you already know before I read it what you're getting and so these rewards power over the nations ruling with Christ in the future the morning star is receiving Jesus himself forever and so thigh tower's significance it was a frontier town less important vulnerable to enemies and so The trade guilds, central to business and social life, often involving immoral practices. But I'm glad that the seductive teaching, that it had corrupt ideas about integrating with the worldly practices for social and business survival. The church at Thyatira was active, growing, but was criticized for compromising with the world and tolerating false teaching, immoral behaviors, and Christ warns them. and he promises rewards to those who remain faithful. And so, when we look, we talked about the message to Ephesus, the Orthodox church, but a church without love. The message to Smyrna, the persecuted church, in verses 8 through 11. the message to Pergamos, the corrupted church that is married to the world in verses 12 through 17. And then here lastly, as I read the scripture and close out, the message to Thyatira, the compromising or the permissive church in verses 18 down to verse 29. Now listen to the reading of the King James. In verse 18, and unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write, these things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass. Jesus, the Son of God, who has eyes like a blazing fire, symbolizing his penetrating judgment, and feet that are polished like bronze, symbolizing strength and purity, he's got the message for the church in Thyatira. In the King James verse of 19, he says, 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. You see, in verse 19, Jesus knows the church's works, their love, their service, their faith, their patience, and he acknowledges that their recent works are even greater than their earlier ones showing growth. in the King James verse 20 of Revelation chapter 2. The Bible says, Notwithstanding, I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach him to seduce my servants, to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And so despite their good works, Thyatira, Jesus had a complaint against the church because they tolerated a woman symbolically called Jezebel who claims to be a prophetess. She misleads the believers in committing sexual immorality, eating food that sacrificed the idols. And then in Revelation chapter two, verse 21 of the King James, the Bible says, and I gave her space to repent of her fornication and she repented not. Jesus has given this woman time to repent of her sinful behavior, but she refused to do so I hope you take this to heart tonight that you don't keep putting off the Lord Because he's coming back and the doomsday clock is ticking away Jesus has given this woman time to repent but Her sinful behavior, she's refused to do so. In verse 22, behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. Jesus warns that he's gonna bring severe suffering to her and those that commit adultery, spiritual unfaithfulness, in other words, unless they repent of their sins. And verse 23, and I will kill her children with death and all the churches shall know that I am he which searches the reins and the hearts. And I will give unto every one of you according to your works. Jesus will bring judgment on her followers, causing them to die. And this will be a warning to all the churches that Jesus knows the thoughts and the intentions of everyone and he will repay each person according to their deeds. And so, In verse 24, he says, but unto you I say and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden. Jesus speaks to the faithful believers in Thyatira. who have not accepted the false teachings are engaged in the deep sins of Satan, and he reassures them that he'll not place any additional burdens on them. In verse 25, but that which ye have already, hold fast till I come. Jesus encourages the believers to hold tightly to what they have, their faith and their good works until he comes. Do you hear me out there, church? We've got to hold fast. to our faith and our good works until he comes. And verse 26, and he that overcometh and keepeth my works until the end, to him will I give power over the nations. Those who overcome, in other words, those that remain faithful and continue to do Jesus' works until the end will be given authority to rule over the nations with him. In verse 27, And he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a powder shall they be broken to shivers, even as I have received of my Father. The faithful will share in Christ's authority to rule with a rod of iron. That symbolizes strong, just rule. They'll break the rebellious nations like clay pots, demonstrating the absolute authority given to them by God. And then in verse 28, and I will give him the morning star. Wow, Jesus promises to give all overcomers the morning star, which symbolizes Christ himself, the source of light and hope and possibly authority and victory. And so, In verse 29, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. And so, Jesus concludes with a call for all who are willing to listen to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the churches. Again, Thyatira, Thyatira, in verse 18, the speaker was Jesus Christ, in verse 18. And accommodation, their love, their service, their faith, and their patience, in verse 19. The complaint that was in verses 20 and 21, that they allowed Jezebel to teach and to lead into immorality. The warning in verses 22 and 23, those who are corrupt will face severe consequences. In verses 24 and 25, to the faithful he gives counsel, hold fast to what you have until Jesus comes. And then in verse 26 down to verse 29, he ends it with a promise as he does all of them. authority over the nations, and the morning star to the overcomers. You see here in Revelation chapter two, Jesus as he addresses four of the seven churches, offering both commendations for their strength, corrections for their failings. Each church is encouraged to heed Christ's words, to repent where necessary, to remain faithful, and the promises to the overcomers to underscore the rewards for perseverance and faithfulness. These messages that Christ sends out to those to give them a timeless guidance for the church of today that encourages us as current churches today to remain vigilant, faithful, and committed to Christ. Are you or your church like one of these four that I talked about? Huh? Are you like one of these four of like Ephesus? Huh? Wow, or as we look and realize that each one of these, maybe as you're like Smyrna, maybe you're like Pergamos, or maybe you're like Thyatira, each one of these, when we look back at them and we realize that each one of them, the message to Ephesus, the Orthodox Church, but a church without love in verses one through seven, the message to Smyrna, the persecuted church in verses eight through 11, the message to Pergamos, the corrupt church that is married to the world in verses 12 through 17, and the message to Thyatira, the compromising or the permissive church in verses 18 down to verse 29. Boy, I tell you, When we look at the primary issue with the church in Ephesus, as Jesus began to counsel them, Ephesus was that they had left their first love. Jesus counseled them to remember the height from which they had fallen, to repent, and to do the things that they did at first. What was the significance of Jesus' promise to the overcomers in Smyrna? He promised them a crown of life, signifying eternal reward and victory over death, highlighting the ultimate triumph of remaining faithful despite their suffering. And the church in Thyatira, the compromise, and what was the warning given to them? The church in Thyatira compromised by allowing a woman identified as Jezebel to teach and lead the congregation into immorality and adultery. And Jesus warned that those who followed her corrupt ways would face the severe consequences, including the suffering and the judgment. I hope that you got something out of these four churches. of the seven churches of revelation amen that you begin to learn something about these of the orthodox church the church without love the persecuted church the corrupt church that is married to the world or the compromising or permissive church of these four of the seven i hope and pray that you get something out of and hopefully that you as you're going somewheres that you're attending and you're in a church that uh you know what maybe that church ain't perfect because there's nobody that is they're gonna make mistakes but with your help and your input it can change and it can be for the better or you could just run away and try to go somewhere else and they'll find something there and then you'll run away from there and you'll go somewhere else and you'll find something there. Why don't you stick somewheres and stick with what you got and work on it and make a difference because every one of us can make a difference when it comes to the different churches that Jesus was speaking to. Some had some great things, some had some bad things. Lord, we thank you for your insights that you've given us through your letters to the seven churches of four of them that we talked about, Lord, in Revelation chapter two. Help us to apply these lessons to our lives, to remain steadfast in our faith, to overcome the challenges that we face. Strengthen us to live according to your will and to hold fast to the promises that you've made to those who overcome. Hope, Lord, that we made it simple, very simple to understand the message that we taught from the book of Revelation, chapter 2. In Jesus' marvelous mighty name, amen. you