Brother Mike Ministries

The many days of Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011!  
***
ETERNAL LIFE: No Longer Possible!! ***

Whoso keeps the commandment shall feel no evil: and a wise man's heart discerns [will know] both time and judgment - Ec. 8:5

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Revelation 3:7-13
A message to the angel of the church in Philadelphia!
By Brother Mike (5-29-19; 60 minutes)
   

7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth ;
8
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee .
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth .  
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown .
12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name .
13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches .


INTRODUCTION   

In these verses of Revelation 3:7-13, we have the message of Christ to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. Before He begins His message, Christ begins by saying of Himself that He is holy, He is true, He has the key of David, and He opens, and no man shuts, and shuts, and no man opens. And, immediately, we ask the questions, what does it mean that Christ is holy and true? And, what does it mean that He has the key of David and He opens, and no man shuts, and shuts, and no man opens? The answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this study. 

Then, in the next verse, Christ says to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. And, with respect to this verse, we ask, What is this open door that no man can shut that has been set before them? And, according to the King James translation, we are told that the reason for this open door being set before them is, for they have a little strength, and have kept Christ's Word, and have not denied His name. Why must there be an error in this translation? And, what is the proper translation? The answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this study.  

Then, next, Christ continues with His message, Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. And, in consideration of this verse, we ask, Who is this synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie? And, when is it that Christ will make them to come and worship before their feet, and to know that He has loved them? Also, is this telling us that one day the synagogue of Satan will be made to come and worship the elect? The answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this study.  

Then, in the following verse, Christ says, because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. What is this word of Christ's patience that the elect of the church in Philadelphia have kept? And, how were they able to keep it? In addition, what is this hour of temptation from which the elect will be kept? And, how is it that they can be kept from it? The answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this study.  

Then, continuing on, Christ says to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. And, in light of this verse, we ask, how can it be said that Christ comes quickly when it has now been almost 2,000 years, and He has not yet come? And, when Christ says, hold that fast which thou has, that no man take thy crown, does this mean that people can lose their salvation by losing their crown if they do not hold fast what they have? The answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this study.   

Then, in conclusion, Christ says, Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. With respect to these final verses, we ask, who is the one that overcomes whom Christ will make a pillar in the temple of His God? And, what does it mean to be made a pillar in the temple? Also, what does it mean that the one who is made a pillar in the temple shall go no more out, and that Christ will write upon such a one the name of His God and the name of the city of His God? Finally, what is the city of God, the new Jerusalem? The answers to these questions and more will be revealed in this study.  

So, as we now look at each verse one by one in more detail, may God, our Father, and our Lord, Jesus Christ who holds the key of David, through the power of the Holy Spirit, grant to us the open door by which we can be lifted up to perceive and understand the deep things of His Word. And, may He grant to us the strength of mind and spirit as well as the endurance of His Word to stand strong to the end, amen.     


Revelation 3:7
:  

7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth

In this verse, we first read, And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write. As in the case of all seven churches in Asia, the angel of the church refers to the body of Christ who are the elect of the church in Philadelphia. But, in that the church in Philadelphia is one of the seven churches in Asia, which seven churches we already found to typify or picture the totality of the churches that would ever come into being during the Church Age from May 21, 33 AD to May 21, 1988, the elect (the angel) of the church in Philadelphia refers not only to the elect of the church in Philadelphia during the 1st century AD, but also the elect in many of the churches typified or pictured by the church in Philadelphia that arose during the Church Age. So, when Christ says to the apostle John to write to the angel (the elect) of the church in Philadelphia, he is being commanded to write not only to the elect of the church in Philadelphia during the 1st century AD, but also to all the elect that would come to be in churches typified or pictured by the church in Philadelphia during the Church Age. 

Now Christ first says to the angel (the elect) of the church in Philadelphia, These things says He that is holy. That is, the things Christ is about to say come from He who is not only set apart for service to God, but also perfectly pure, without sin.   

Furthermore, we read that He is true. And, being as such, the words that He speaks must be true as well. This means that the things that Christ is about to say to the angel (elect) of the church in Philadelphia can be trusted in every way; therefore, if we be a seeker of the truth, we will do well to listen carefully, for the message is not only to the angel (the elect) of the church in Philadelphia, but also to us, the elect, who were in a church typified or pictured by the church in Philadelphia at the end of the Church Age and the beginning of the spiritual Great Tribulation which came upon all the churches on May 21, 1988.  

Now, we read that Christ is not only He that is holy and true, but, we read, He is He that has the Key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth, which is very similar to what we read in Isaiah 22 where we read,  

22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open .    

So, by comparing verses, we see that the key of David is the same as the key of the house of David. And, we know that the house of David was a type or picture of the house of Christ, which house refers to all those who were elected unto eternal life through the faith of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we are not surprised to learn in Revelation 3:7 that it is Christ who has the key of David as the key of David is the key of Christ, for king David of old was a type or picture of Christ Himself.

Now, what does it mean that Christ with His key opens, and no one shuts; and shuts, and no one opens? Well, it means that He is in control of opening and closing the door. Yet, what is this door that He is in control of? We read in John 10,  

7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep .
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture .  

Thus, the door is Christ Himself, and He is the door of eternal salvation. This is the door that Christ is in control of. He is the one who determines when the door of eternal salvation is open so that one can be saved, and He is the one who determines when the door of eternal salvation is closed so that no one can be eternally saved. During the Church Age, He opened the door so that those who entered by Him were saved, but ever since Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011, He has closed the door so that no one can any longer be saved . Yes, Christ has the Key of David, which means He determines when people can be eternally saved, and when they cannot be eternally saved. And, for those who were saved during the Church Age, we know that the door was then open, and we can thank Him for having lived during a time when salvation was still possible. But, woe to all those who were conceived and then born after May 21, 2011. For them, the key of David (Christ) has been used by Christ to lock the door shut forever. No one else can any longer be saved, so they are destined to perish by death, and, if they still be living by the Last Day, to perish by fire when they and all those who are unsaved and in the graves will be brought forth to be burned up in the fires of annihilation (see " Is God Still Saving? " and Luke 11:5-13 Isaiah 13:10, scroll down to verse 10 and Isaiah 13:14 and  Revelation 18 study - Part 3, scroll to verses 21-23 and Revelation 9 - Part 2, verse 6  and Jeremiah 50, scroll down to verse 12 and  Jeremiah 50:16-17 , Jeremiah 50:40 , Jeremiah 51:26 , Jeremiah 51:30 and 32 , Jeremiah 51:36 , Jeremiah 51:43-44 , Jeremiah 51:55 , Jeremiah 51:58 ).  


Revelation 3:8
:  

8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name .    

Here, Christ first said, I know your works. That is, Christ knew their works. He knew their works of prayer. He knew their works of getting out the gospel. He knew their works of giving. He knew their works of worship and praise. He knew their works of employment. He knew their works of service. He knew their works of caring for their loved ones. Indeed, He knew all their works, for He saw all things, and knew all things.    

And, having known all their works, he says to them, behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it. As we learned previously, this means that Christ has set before them an open door of eternal salvation, and no man can change that. In other words, by saying that He has set before them an open door, He is making it known to them that He is saving them, and no man can keep that from taking place. Yes, when we are chosen unto eternal life, there is nothing that any person can do to keep that from happening because Christ holds the key of David, which means that He is in complete control of who is not being saved, and who is being saved, for He locks the door of salvation and no man can open it, and He unlocks the door of salvation and no man can close it.  

Now, according to the King James translation, the reason why Christ had set before them an open door (eternal salvation) was because, as Christ states, you have a little strength, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name. Hence, according to the King James translation it appears as though Christ is saving them because of their little strength and because of their works of keeping His Word and having not denied His name. But, how can this be? For we know that people cannot be saved by their own works, but are saved by the gift of grace as we read in Ephesians 2:8-9,  

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God :
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast .  

So, how can our verse here in Revelation 3 say that the elect of the church in Philadelphia were being saved because of their works? Obviously, it cannot. Therefore, we must realize that the King James translation is suspect. And, indeed, it is an incorrect translation in this case. Where Christ says, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name, it is better translated, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: that thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. In other words, Christ had not set before them an open door of salvation for or because what they had done in having a little strength and being faithful, but He had set before them an open door of salvation; that is, He was saving them, that (or in order that) they had a little strength, and had kept His Word, and had not denied His name. Thus, the reason why the elect of the church in Philadelphia were faithful was not because of something that they had done, or because of some attribute that they possessed, but because they were being saved. Indeed, Christ had set before them an open door of salvation through which they had been being saved, which is why they had a little strength and had been faithful.  

Notice how in that these elect had a little strength supports our conclusion, for to spiritually have a little strength must mean that God was already at work in them; otherwise, they would be spiritually dead without any strength at all. And, in that God was already at work in them makes it clear that their faithfulness was not due to their own faithfulness, but it must have been due to the faithfulness of Christ working through them, which confirms that an open door of salvation had been set before them not due to their own strength and faithfulness as the King James translation makes it sound, but rather due to the strength and faithfulness of Christ working through them. In other words, Christ was in the process of saving them, and this was the open door that was set before them. So, our verse should not be translated as the King James translates it, but like this: I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: [not] for [or] because thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name, but that thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name

Further support for this translation is that the elect are said to have kept Christ's Word, and have not denied His name. The only way this could be said of the elect that they have kept Christ's Word is if Christ had already been working through them, for only He keeps the Word of God perfectly and does not deny His name. Therefore, the open door of salvation came about not for or because they had a little strength, and had been faithful as the King James translation makes it sound, but the open door came about that or in order that they had a little strength, and had kept His Word, and had not denied His name. 


Revelation 3:9
:  

9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee .  

In this verse, we first read, Behold. Literally, it reads, Be seeing or be perceiving. Figuratively, it means, pay special attention or tune in to what Christ is about to say.  

Then, Christ says, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie: behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet. Now, just who were this synagogue of Satan? We are told that they were those who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. We can understand this better when we first define what a true Jew is. Most believe that a true Jew is someone of the Jewish faith or one descended from Abraham and a part of the covenant through outward circumcision of the flesh. But, what does the Bible say? We read in Romans 2, 

28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh :
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God .  

Thus, a Jew is not one of the Jewish faith or one who is descended from Abraham and a part of the covenant through outward circumcision of the flesh, but one is a Jew inwardly by circumcision of the heart, in the spirit, through the faith of Jesus Christ. That is, people are true Jews through spiritual rebirth into Jesus Christ, and that makes them true Christians. And as the scripture says,   

Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus

And, again, we read, 

Col 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all .   

Now, knowing what a true Jew is, we can begin to understand what our verse means when it speaks about the synagogue of Satan as being those who claim to be Jews, and are not, but do lie. Since a true Jew is one who has been spiritually born into the family of Christ, those who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie are those who claim to be of the family of Christ but are not. That is, the synagogue of Satan are those who claim to be Christians, but they are not. They claim an identity with Christ outwardly, but inwardly they have no such identity. They have not been spiritually born from above; they have not been spiritually born again into Jesus Christ. Yet, they claim to follow Christ, and they believe themselves to be saved in Christ, or, at least, on the path to salvation in Christ. 

In our day, those who are of the synagogue of Satan have been manifest. They are all those who have not obeyed the command of Christ to depart out from all the Christian churches (see Why leave all churches? ). They claim to have a relationship with Christ; they claim to be Christian, and are not, but do lie, for, if they had a true relationship with Jesus Christ, He would have revealed His command to them to leave all churches, and they would have obeyed Him. But, as it is, they continue in churches wherein Christ is no longer present, and they worship the counterfeit Christ, the Antichrist, the Man of Sin, Satan, believing all the while that they are worshipping Christ. Indeed, because they would not love the truth that they might be saved, God has fed them a strong delusion that they would believe a lie (2Thes. 2:10-11). 

Now, returning to our verse, Christ says to the angel (the elect) of the church in Philadelphia that He will make all those who are of the synagogue of Satan - who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie - to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. In the 1st century this meant that Christ would one day make all those who were false Christians in and around the church in Philadelphia in that day to come and worship before the feet of the elect in the church of Philadelphia. But, since the church in Philadelphia typified or pictured many of the churches that would have come into being by the end of the Church Age on May 21, 1988, it also meant that Christ would one day make all those who were false Christians in and around all the churches that were typified or pictured by the church in Philadelphia to one day come and worship before the feet of the elect in all those churches.  

But, next, the question arises, when is it that Christ will make all these false Christians come and worship before the feet of the elect? Well, on the Last Day of Judgment Day that we are now in, of course. This is when all those who are in the graves and unsaved, and all those who still remain on earth and are unsaved will be brought forth to be judged at the feet of the elect. This does not mean that the elect will be worshipped by them on the Last Day, for only God should be worshipped. Nevertheless, the elect will be there with Christ on the Last Day in judgment, and they will see before them all the false Christians bowing down to or being subject to the judgment of Christ. This is when all the false Christians in the churches will finally recognize that they are under the wrath of God, and that they were wrong in coming up against and not believing the elect who were in the churches during the Church Age. This is when the elect will be finally vindicated, and when, as we read, that all the false Christians will know that Christ has loved us, the elect, as they see that we are eternally saved by Him, and they are not, but are about to be cast into the Lake of Fire to be annihilated forever.    


Revelation 3:10
:  

10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth .    

Here, we first read, Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation. The idea is that because the elect have patiently endured through trials and hardships for the sake of and by the power of Christ, Christ also will keep them from the hour of temptation. The question that arises though is this: what is the hour of temptation? Many have thought that this hour of temptation refers to the Great Tribulation, and so they use this verse to say that Christ will keep the elect from the Great Tribulation by a pre-tribulation rapture. In fact, this is held by most churches in our day. But, unfortunately, for them, that is not what this verse is teaching. The word translated as temptation does not mean tribulation, but it can be translated as trial so that what Christ is saying is that He will keep the elect from the hour or time of trial. And, the time of trial that He has in view is the trial of Judgment Day, which began on May 21, 2011, and will be completed on the Last Day of Judgment Day. Yes, we are being told that Christ will keep the elect from Judgment Day. O yes, we read in 2Corinthians 5, 

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad

Nevertheless, the elect already stood before the judgment seat of Christ when Christ stood before the judgment seat on their behalf upon being tried and crucified for their sins. But, on the other hand, the unsaved are standing before the judgment seat of Christ ever since Judgment Day began on May 21, 2011. So, therefore, the trial of which Christ will keep the elect from is the trial of judgment, which began on May 21, 2011, and will be completed on the Last Day. Obviously, it doesn't mean that the elect won't be present during the hour of trial, for we are now present in Judgment Day, but it means that we have already been tried and judged in Jesus Christ when He died on the cross for us so that we can not be tried and judged during Judgment Day that we are now in. On the other hand, all the unsaved are currently being tried and judged, and this will not be completed until the Last Day when they will all have been found guilty of sin, and are cast into the Lake of Fire to be burned up until they all be annihilated forever. But, for now, all the unsaved are being tried as they all go deeper into sin to clearly show that they are sinners when on the Last Day they will justly be put to death, for the wages of sin is death (Ro. 6:23).   

Now, we are told that this hour or time of trial shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. As we have already pinpointed this time of trial to be Judgment Day that began on May 21, 2011, which will be completed many days later on the Last Day, we are now being told that this hour or time is the time that God tries them that dwell upon the earth. And, the them that are being tried are all the unsaved that dwell upon the earth, for, as stated before, the saved were already tried and found guilty and judged in Jesus Christ when He was tried, found guilty, and judged to death on the cross on their behalf. Yet, the unsaved have had no such payment for their sins, so they are now being tried and found guilty of sin and being judged to eternal death, which will come to completion on the relatively soon to come Last Day of Judgment Day that we are now in when all the unsaved in the graves, and all the unsaved that still remain will be brought forth unto the resurrection of damnation to be destroyed and annihilated forever.  


Revelation 3:11
:   

11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown .  

In this verse, Christ, once again, says, Behold. As we learned previously, this literally means, Be seeing, or Be perceiving. It is a way of getting our attention to tune in and listen carefully to what Christ is about to say.  

Then, He immediately says, I come quickly, and we are forced to ask the question, how can He say that He comes quickly when it has now been close to 2,000 years since He said this, and He has still not come? The answer is two-fold: first, He could say that He comes quickly because in a real sense, He comes to each one of us when we die, and because our deaths do come relatively quick, it can be said that He comes quickly. Furthermore, it can be said that He comes quickly even if it takes 2,000 years for Him to come because compared to the previous about 11,000 years of history from creation to the 1st century AD when the book of Revelation was first written, 2,000 years is a relatively short period of time. So, Christ comes quickly to us by death, and it can be said in the 1st century AD that He comes quickly even if it takes 2,000 years for Him to come because when compared to the whole of about 11,000 years of history from creation to when He said that He comes quickly, 2,000 years is a relatively short, or we could say, quick, period of time.   

Now, our verse ends by saying, hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. The crown, of course, represents the reward that the saved ones receive in heaven such as eternal life in their new incorruptible bodies and the new heaven and earth. And, by commanding them to hold fast to what they have, they are being commanded to stand obedient in the faith and teachings of Jesus Christ. But, notice why it is that the believers are commanded to hold fast to what they have: it is so that no man take their crown. On the surface, this would seem to infer that believers can have eternal salvation and then lose it. Yet, this is impossible not only because of the multitude of verses that would contradict such a conclusion in the Bible, but simply because how can one have eternal life, and then lose it, for if one can lose it, then, by definition, it was never eternal to begin with. No, rather, if people have eternal life, then, by definition, they cannot lose it; otherwise, it could not have been eternal life that they had to begin with as something that is eternal, by definition, cannot now be non-eternal or lost. So, then, why are believers commanded to hold fast to what they have that no man take their reward? Well, it is simply a command for believers to make sure that they are eternally saved, for if they are not truly saved, in a sense, someone else who is truly saved will take their reward in heaven that they could have had if they had been truly saved.    


Revelation 3:12
:   

12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name .   

In this verse, we first read, Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. And, who is the one that overcomes? We read in 1John 5,   

1Jo 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith .    

Thus, the ones who overcome are the ones born of God. These are all those who have been spiritually born from above or born again in Jesus Christ, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13). Yes, through spiritual birth, God, the Holy Spirit, has come to live in us and to work through us so that we do and will overcome Satan and this world. This is how it can be said that whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world not only in the present tense, but also in the future tense, for it is God which worketh in [us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). And, we know that it is God's good pleasure to overcome both Satan and this world through us by the same power that raised Christ from the dead, and set Him far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come (Ephesians 1:21).  

Now, we are told that the one that overcomes, which we learned is the one born of God, will [Christ] make a pillar in the temple of [His] God. And, since it is the pillars of the temple which support and hold up the temple, for one to be made a pillar in the temple means that one is made to support and hold up the temple. Furthermore, the temple of God is not a physical building, but what does the scripture say? We read in 1Corinthians 3,  

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you

And, again, we read,   

2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people

Thus, the temple of God is the people of God, or we could say, the elect, so that when our verse says that Christ will make the one who overcomes a pillar in the temple of His God, it means that Christ will make the one who is born of God (an elect person) to support and hold up the temple of God, namely the elect. That is, Christ will make each elect person to support or hold up and strengthen the elect, and, so, we have the elect supporting and strengthening the elect by the power of God, which makes the temple of believers sure and strong both now and for all eternity with glory to the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

Now, our verse continues by saying that the one who overcomes that Christ will make to be a pillar in the temple of God shall go no more out. Literally, it reads, and he may not go out. That is, the one who Christ will make to be a pillar in the temple of God, namely a saved elect person, may not go out of the temple. And, why would this be? Well, if you will remember, the temple is made up of the elect who have been made a part of that temple by having been spiritually born of God, or born from above, or born again in Jesus Christ. By virtue of their having once been outside the temple, they were unsaved and under the wrath of God, but when they were born of God by the Spirit, they became a part of the spiritual temple of God and eternally saved. Thus, to be a part of the temple is also to be eternally saved. But, if once being saved, the saved elect could then go back outside the temple, they would no longer be saved. What we have here, then, when our verse says, and he may not go out of the temple is simply saying that once one is saved, and, thus, a part of the temple, that person cannot be unsaved, and, thus, go outside the temple. Yes, our verse is teaching that once saved, always saved, for once saved, and, thus, a part of the temple, one cannot then go outside the temple where they would be unsaved, for once one has become a part of the temple through eternal salvation in Jesus Christ, as our verse says, he may not go out of the temple; that is, he cannot then lose his salvation, for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance (Romans 11:29).  

Next, Christ says of the one that overcomes; that is, of the elect who has been born of God and eternally saved in Jesus Christ, and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God. For Christ to write upon the saved elect the name of His God, and the name of the city of His God is not only to identify them as being owned by God and His city, but also to identify them as being intimately a part of God and His city. We are intimately a part of God in that we are the body of Christ (1Corinthians 12:27) who is God (see God is a Trinity ), which makes us equally the body of God, and we are intimately a part of the city of God, the new Jerusalem, in that we are the new Jerusalem, for we see in the Bible the new Jerusalem described as coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2), and we are that bride of Christ.   

Then, finally, our verse states, and I will write upon him my new name, which is to say that Christ will write upon the one that overcomes; that is, He will write upon the one that has been born of God or saved in Jesus Christ a new name. Obviously, this new name relates to the new birth or new creation which takes place when one is born of God or saved in Jesus Christ. Just as people are given a name when they are physically born, so also were we given a new name when we were born again or born from above in Jesus Christ.   


Revelation 3:13
:  

13 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches .    

As we have learned in previous studies, this verse is simply a command for the elect to hear what the Spirit says unto the churches because only they have the spiritual ears to be able to hear what the Spirit says. That is, only they have been so gifted to comprehend spiritual things from the Word of God. To everyone else these things are foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God (1Cor. 1:18).  


SUMMARY & CONCLUSION 

In this study of Revelation 3:7-13, Christ began by saying of Himself that He is holy, He is true, He has the key of David, and He opens, and no man shuts, and shuts, and no man opens. By saying that He is holy and true, He means that He is holy in that He is set apart to God for service as one who is without sin, and He is true in that the things He is about to say can be thoroughly trusted. Also, by saying that He has the key of David, and He opens, and no man shuts, and shuts, and no man opens means that Christ has complete control over whether people become saved and no human being can change that.  

Then, next, Christ said to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. The open door, of course, that Christ had set before them is the door to eternal salvation, which is Jesus Christ. Only He has control over this door, and that is why no human could shut it. Yes, because Christ had opened the door for the elect, they were certain to be saved. And, although the King James translation makes it seem that they were being saved for, or because, they had a little strength, and had kept the Word, and had not denied Christ's name that was not actually the case, but rather they were being saved that, or in order that, they had a little strength, and had kept the Word, and had not denied Christ's name. Thus, we found the best translation of our verse to be this: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: [not] for [but] that thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.  

But, then, Christ continued with His message, Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. In this verse, we learned that the synagogue of Satan is all those who claim to be Christians, but they are not because they were never spiritually circumcised in their hearts by the Spirit. In our day, these are all those who have remained in the churches; who have not obeyed the command of Christ to depart out from all the churches. It is these ones, we learned, who will come and worship before our, the elect's, feet on the Last Day and then know that Christ has loved us. They will not come to worship us, but they will be bowed down before Christ as He judges them to eternal damnation.   

Then, in our next verse, Christ said, Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Here, we learned that the elect had kept the word of Christ's patience by their patient obedience to the Word through all their trials and hardships, and, as a result, Christ said that He would keep them from the hour of temptation. This, we found, meant not that Christ would keep the elect from the Great Tribulation as many have wrongly believed, but, rather, He would keep them from the hour of trial, which began on May 21, 2011 and will be completed when all the unsaved are cast into the Lake of Fire on the Last Day. Thus, in that the elect will be kept from the hour of trial means that they will be kept from being eternally damned. And, of course, the reason why the elect will not be eternally damned is because Christ was eternally damned in their place to pay for their sins when He suffered and died on the cross in 33 AD.   

But, then, Christ said to the angel of the church in Philadelphia, Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. The reason, we learned, that Christ could say that He comes quickly even though it has now been almost 2,000 years since He said that is two-fold: first, 2,000 years can still be considered a short, or quick, period when compared to the approximate 11,000 years of history that came before, and, second, in a real sense, Christ comes to each of us when we die. And, since, we all die in a relatively short, or quick, period, Christ could truthfully say that He comes quickly to the people in the 1st century AD because their deaths were always imminent. Furthermore, we learned that when Christ said to the elect to hold that fast which [they] have, that no man take [their] crown, it didn't mean that the elect could lose their salvation, but it was meant to make those who think they are the elect be sure that they are saved because if they are not truly saved, the crown that they thought they had will be taken away from them when on the Last Day they surprisingly discover that they are unsaved and under the wrath of God.   

Then, finally, Christ said, Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, [which is] new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. In these final verses, we learned that the one who overcomes is the one who is born of God, or saved in Jesus Christ, and it is this saved person who will be made a pillar in the temple of God, which means such a one will be made to hold up and support the elect or people of God, for they are the temple of God. Thus, the temple of God is the elect who hold up and support one another like the pillars in a temple hold up and support the temple. And, what does it mean that he, [an elect person], shall go no more out? Well, we learned that it means a saved elect person cannot lose their salvation. Once a person has been saved and, thus, made to be a permanent part of the temple, this person cannot go out of the temple, and, thus, become unsaved once again. Indeed, once saved and a part of the temple, always saved and a part of the temple. And, last, what does it mean that Christ will write upon one who has become saved the name of His God and the name of the city of His God? Well, we learned that this means the one who becomes saved is not only owned by God and the city of God, but such a one is intimately related to God and the city of God in being both a part of Christ's body and by being a part of the city of God, namely the new Jerusalem that will come down from heaven on the Last Day.   


]Now, may the LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace .

1:16-20
2:1-7
2:8-11
2:12-17 
2:18-22 
2:23-29 
3:1-6 
3:7-13
3:14-22       

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