Weekly message: Lord’s promise to the overcomers of seven lampstands and churches. By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Weekly message: Lord’s promise to the overcomers of seven lamp stands and churches.

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

Date : 10/7/2023

 

Ø  The Lord’s promise blessings to Overcomers are in three stages.

The entire verse is the Lord’s promise to the overcomers, it will be fulfilled in the millennial kingdom after the Lord comes back. That a name is erased out of the book of life indicates that that name has already been written in the book of life. The book of life is a divine record of the names of those who partake of the blessings that God has prepared for them.  The names of all the saints chosen by God and predestinated to partake of these blessings are written in this book (Luke10:20). These blessings are in three stages: 1) In the church    2) In the millennial kingdom   3) In eternity

In the church age--- The blessings in the stage of the church, such as forgiveness, redemption, regeneration, eternal life, the divine nature, etc., are the initial portions. All God’s chosen ones whose names are written in the book of life have a share in these initial portions to begin their spiritual life. If they cooperate with God’s supplying grace, they will mature in life in the church age, and this earlier maturity in life will constitute a prize with which the Lord will reward them at His coming back.

In the millennial kingdom stage  ---That prize will be the entrance into the millennial kingdom and participation in the divine blessings in that stages, such as the joy and rest of the Lord (Matt.25:21,23; Heb. 4:9-11), the reign over the nations (rev.2:26-27;20:4,6), etc., which God has prepared as an incentive for His chosen ones to go on with Him in the church age.              

However, many of His chosen ones, after receiving His forgiveness, redemption, eternal life, divine nature, etc., will not cooperate will His grace and will not go on with Him. Hence, they are unable to mature in life in the church age and thus will not be ready at the Lord’s coming back to enter into the millennial kingdom and share in the divine blessings of that age as a prize. Therefore, during the millennial kingdom their names will be erased from the book of life. After being disciplined by the Lord and growing in life unto maturity during the millennial kingdom,

In the eternity stage---- then they will share in the divine blessings in the stage of eternity, such as the eternal priesthood with God’s eternal presence, the eternal kingship (Rev.22:17). At that time their names should again be written in the book of life. This means that all God’s chosen ones whose names are written in the book of life and who have been brought into the participation of the divine blessings in the stage of the church “shall by no means perish forever “ (John10:28). That is, they shall by no means lose the divine blessings of eternity.  But some, those who do not cooperate with the Lord in the church age, will be dispensationally disciplined by the Lord during the millennial kingdom and will miss the divine blessings in that stage.

In the kingdom age the Lord will confess the name of the overcomer because the overcomer’s name will not have been erased out of the book of life but will still be written in it. This implies that if the believers are not overcomers, in the kingdom age their names will be erased out of the book of life and therefore will not be confessed by the Lord.

 My friends, Christians’ life are pursuing the maturity in life as overcomers in these three stages 1) in the church age, 2) in the millennial age, and 3) in the eternity age.The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. (Gal.5:6). As 1 Peter 1:7 says, “These have come so that your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire maybe, proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Keep cooperating with God’s supplying grace; reach to the earlier maturity in life in the church age which will constitute a prize that the Lord will reward you at His coming back.  This prize and reward will enable you entrance into the millennial kingdom and share in the divine blessings in the stage of eternity such as the eternal priesthood with God’s eternal presence, the eternal kingship (Rev.22:17). At that time your names should by no means to erase out of the book of life and shall by no means lose the divine blessings of eternity.

However, if you will not cooperate with His grace and will not go on with Him, not much living faith to partake of the divine element of Christ, you are unable to mature in life in the church age and will not be ready at the Lord’s coming back to enter into the millennial kingdom and share in the divine blessings of that age as a prize. During the millennial kingdom your names will be erased from the book of life. After being disciplined by the Lord and growing in life unto maturity during the millennial kingdom. You will share in the divine blessings in the stage of eternity, such as the eternal priesthood with God’s eternal presence, the eternal kingship (Rev.22:17). At that time your names should again be written in the book of life.

 

Ø  The needs of seven Church and reward for overcomers (Revelation 2:1-3:22)  

To the church in Ephesus, Christ was the One who held the seven stars and walked in the midst of the seven lampstands. The initial church needed the care of Christ, and her leaders needed His keeping grace. (Rev.2:1—7)

To the church in Smyrna, He was the One who became dead and lived again. The suffering church needed the resurrection life of Christ. (Rev.2:8-11)

To the church in Pergamum, Christ was the One who has the sharp two-edged sword. The degraded, worldly church needed His judging and slaying word.(Rev.2:12-17)

To the church in Thyatira, He was the One who has eyes like flaming fire and feet like shining bronze. The apostate Church needed His searching and judging.  (Rev.2:18-29)

To the church in Sardis, The seven Spirits of God enable the church to be intensely living, and the seven stars enable her to be intensely shining.  Christ was the One who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars. The dead, reformed church needed the sevenfold intensified Spirit of God and the shining leaders. The sevenfold intensified Spirit is living and can never be replaced by the dead letters of knowledge. (2Cor.3:6). (Rev.3:1-6)

Many have considered the reformed Protestant Church to be living, but the Lord says that she is dead. Hence, she needs the living Spirits and the shining stars.  The things which remain are the things that had been lost and were restore by the Reformation, such as justification by Faith, the open Bible, etc. Though these things had been restored, they were about to die. Hence, they needed to be revived. This is actual situation of the Protestant church.

The message to the church in Sardis Revelation 3:1-6

  “I know your deeds, you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard, obey it and repent….(Rev.3:1-2)  Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. He, who overcomes will like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels. (Rev. 3: 4-5) 

Garments in the Bible signify what we are in our walk and living. To defile one’s garments means particularly to stain them with deadness. Death is more defiling before God than sin (Lev.11:24-25; Num. 6:6-7,9). White signifies not only purity but also approvedness. White garments here signify the walk and living that are unspotted by death and that will be approved by the Lord. This is a qualification for walking with the Lord, especially in the coming kingdom.

To the church in Philadelphia, Philadelphia in the Greek word means brotherly love. To the church of brotherly love, the Lord is the Holy One, the true One. The Lord is also the One who has the key of David, the key of the kingdom, with authority to open and to shut. The Lord uses this key to deal with the recovered church. (Rev.3:7-13)

 

       

 In Revelation 3:14-22 unveils the weakness and strength of the church in Laodicea and reward to those who overcomes.  The church in Laodicea has knowledge of Christ but does not have the Lord’s presence. The Lord is dealing with whole church, but the acceptance of the Lord’s dealing must be a personal matter. “ I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich, and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness, and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline so be earnest and repent.” (Rev. 3:18-19). The scriptures mention about three items 1) Gold.  2) White clothes. 3) Salve.

              1)  In the Bible our operating, working faith (Gal.5:6) is likened to gold (1Pet.1:7). The divine nature of God, which is the divinity of Christ, is typified by gold (Exo.25:11) by faith we partake of the divine nature of God. The degraded recovered church has the knowledge of the doctrines concerning Christ but not much living faith to partake of the divine element of Christ. She needs to pay the price to gain the golden faith through the fiery trials that she may participate in the real gold, which is Christ Himself as the life element to His Body. Thus she can become a pure golden lampstand (Rev.1:20) for the building of the golden New Jerusalem (Rev.1:18).    

  2) White clothes – in figure, garments signify conduct. White garments here signify conduct that can be approved by the Lord. Such conduct is the Lord Himself lived out of the church, and it is required by the degraded recovered church for the covering of her nakedness.  

 3) The eye salve needed to anoint their eyes must be the anointing Spirit (1John2:27), who is the Lord Himself as the lift – giving Spirit (1Cor.15:45). The degraded recovered church needs this kind of eye salve also for the healing of her blindness. For the three items mentioned in this verse, she must pay the price.    

What is the reward to those who overcomes, the reward to those who overcomes, “I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Rev.3:21).  

 

Bibliography,

        

   King James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company

   

  Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.

 

   Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.