The Christian Letter, Volume One: Chapter 38
There is a chilling obsession the church has on end times, and not on living as the Messiah lived. Sometimes classes that are well done, truthful, and very interesting indeed, have little to no significance on how we live our lives, and are there only to tickle the ears, and tantalize our daydreams.
“And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead, and He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, I am the First and the Last, and the living One. And I became dead, and see, I am living forever and ever. Amen. And I possess the keys of the grave and of death.’” (Revelation 1:17-18). When we read the letters of Revelation 2:1-3:22, let us always approach them as solemnly as possible. I hope and pray you put these Letters into your heart. If you ever desire to study Revelation, I encourage you to study these Letters in the Genesis of Revelation seven times more than the rest of that Book. Allow me to share with you the most wonderful part of the Book of Revelation: the Letters to the Yahudim who believe in the Messiah:
“To the messenger of the assembly of Ephesos write, ‘He who is holding the seven stars in His right hand, who is walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands, says this: “I know your works, and your labour, and your endurance, and that you are not able to bear evil ones, and have tried those who say they are emissaries and are not, and have found them false; and you have been bearing up and have endurance, and have laboured for My Name’s sake and have not become weary. But I hold this against you, that you have left your first love. So remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the first works, or else I shall come to you speedily and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this you have, that you hate the works of the Nikolaites, which I also hate. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I shall give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of Elohim.”’
“And to the messenger of the assembly in Smurna write, ‘This says the First and the Last, who became dead, and came to life: “I know your works, and pressure, and poverty—yet you are rich—and the blasphemy of those who say they are Yehudim and are not, but are a congregation of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. See, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, in order to try you, and you shall have pressure ten days. Be trustworthy until death, and I shall give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. He who overcomes shall by no means be harmed by the second death.”’
“And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos write, ‘He who has the sharp two-edged sword, says this: “I know your works, and where you dwell, where the throne of Satan is. And you hold fast to My Name, and did not deny the belief in Me, even in the days in which Antipas was My trustworthy witness, who was killed near you, where Satan dwells. But I hold a few matters against you, because you have there those who adhere to the teaching of Bil’am, who taught Balaq to put a stumbling-block before the children of Yisra’el, to eat food offered to idols, and to commit whoring. So you also have those who adhere to the teaching of the Nikolaites, which teaching I hate. Repent, or else I shall come to you speedily and fight against them with the sword of My mouth. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I shall give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I shall give him a white stone, and on the stone a renewed Name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”’
“And to the messenger of the assembly in Thyatira write, ‘This says the Son of Elohim, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like burnished brass: “I know your works, and love, and service, and belief, and your endurance. And as for your works, the last are more than the first. But I hold against you that you allow that woman Izebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and lead My servants astray to commit whoring and to eat food offered to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her whoring, and she did not repent. See, I am throwing her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great affliction, unless they repent of their works. And I shall slay her children with death. And all the assemblies shall know that I am the One searching the kidneys and hearts. And I shall give to each one of you according to your works. And to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not possess this teaching, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they call them, I am not putting on you another burden. But hold fast what you have until I come. And he who overcomes, and guards My works until the end, to him I shall give authority over the nations, and he shall shepherd them with a rod of iron, as the potter’s vessels shall be broken to pieces, as I also have received from My Father. And I shall give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.”’
“And to the messenger of the assembly in Sardis write, ‘He who has the seven Spirits of Elohim and the seven stars, says this, “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete before Elohim. Remember, then, how you have received, and heard. And watch and repent. If, then, you do not wake up, I shall come upon you as a thief, and you shall not know at all what hour I come upon you. Nevertheless, you have a few names in Sardis who have not defiled their garments. And they shall walk with Me in white, because they are worthy. He who overcomes shall be dressed in white robes, and I shall by no means blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I shall confess his name before My Father and before His messengers. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.”’
“And to the messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia write, ‘He who is set-apart, He who is true, He who has the key of Dawid, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens, says this: “I know your works—see, I have set before you an open door, and no one is able to shut it—that you have little power, yet have guarded My Word, and have not denied My Name. See, I am giving up those of the congregation of Satan, who say they are Yehudim and are not, but lie. See, I am making them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have guarded My Word of endurance, I also shall guard you from the hour of trial which shall come upon all the world, to try those who dwell on the earth. See, I am coming speedily! Hold what you have that no one take your crown. He who overcomes, I shall make him a supporting post in the Dwelling Place of My Elohim, and he shall by no means go out. And I shall write on him the Name of My Elohim and the name of the city of My Elohim, the renewed Yerushalayim, which comes down out of the heaven from My Elohim, and My renewed Name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.”’
“And to the messenger of the assembly in Laodikeia write, ‘The Amen, the Trustworthy and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of Elohim, says this: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am going to vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘Rich I am, and I am made rich, and need none at all,’ and do not know that you are wretched, and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, so that you become rich; and white garments, so that you become dressed, so that the shame of your nakedness might not be shown; and anoint your eyes with ointment, so that you see. As many as I love, I reprove and discipline. So be ardent and repent. See, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I shall come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I shall give to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.”’” (Revelation 2:1-3:22).
… We have forgotten our first love. When we first learned of a great Saviour, it was love at first Word. We longed for more and more, and so sought others who shared the same Spirit of Joy. We knew that the Christians who gather on the day of the sun carry the same Book, and so we went to fellowship with them. Yet, within this church, many of the truths within the Word are taken out, and then hidden, far, far away.
I urge you to be more concerned about living the way the Messiah taught us to live than about what the modern day religious society proclaims, or what will happen, step-by-step, when He returns. Some are caught up in trying to look at the Scripture from a Hebrew Jewish perspective. While I claim that to be good, some see this as looking for codes and anything rabbinical that they can. Those who look to men calling themselves rabbis, pastors, masters, or priests, find little and call it lots. They look for the hidden, but ignore the clarity of His Word untainted by human interpretation.
If I could have only one of the following: To know fully what each revelation of the future meant, to the point of even knowing the year of His return, or, to be shown one way the Messiah lived that I would otherwise not know; I would, without hesitation, want to know how my Saviour walked, so that I might do the same. This is very important. Our answer to this will determine if we run a race, or sit and ponder.
“What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, would he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains, going to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Thus it is not the desire of your Father who is in the heavens that one of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:12-14).
Those who have ears to hear, let them hear what the Spirit is saying to those who would overcome! Return to Yahoweh, our first love Who loved us first! Honor His Name, give His Word your life, and come out of Babylon! Do not be afraid to return to Him! Yahoweh loves you and He desires the lost sheep of Israel.
Be Blessed and be a Blessing
Shalom
-Valentine Thalken Billingsley
If this blessed you, please share it.
Additional Scripture References:
Romans 2:4-9, Colossians 1:21-23, James 5:7-8
