Turn with me to the third chapter of the book of Revelation, Revelation chapter 3. We are going to deal today with both a little in the church of Philadelphia and move a little bit further to the church of Laodicea. And I think we need perhaps one more message to deal with the last church in order to kind of get the full force of the message that the Lord has for that particular church, the church of Laodicea. But I still would like to read, first of all, in chapter 3 from verse 7. And we are going to move and read the rest of the chapter, both Philadelphia and Laodicea.

So I am reading from verse 7. And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 1. "This thing saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth. 2. I know thy works. Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. 3. For thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. 3. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. 4. Behold, I will make them to come and to worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.

5. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, 6. To try them that dwell upon the earth. 6. Behold, I come quickly. Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. 7. Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. 8. 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 from heaven, from my God. 9. And I will write upon him my new name.

10. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 11. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodicean write, 12. These things saith the Amen, the faithful, and the true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. 11. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. 12. I would thou art cold or hot. 13. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 14. Because thou sayest I am rich, and have increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.

15. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear. 15. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous, therefore, and repent. 16. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 17. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

18. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." 18. I'll stop here with this, and I want to go a little bit back into the session that we have actually had concerning the church of Philadelphia. 18. We have talked about it in our last message together. I'm just going to go over that a little bit at this message, and we'll move on to the church of Laodicea, and then in the will of the Lord in our next message, we'll conclude with the seven churches. 18. Remember, brothers and sisters, we are talking about the passage in the book of Revelation that deals with the present age in which we live in.

18. We live in the present age called the church age. 18. I'm mentioning this to you because it's beautiful to see the distinction that the Lord Yeshua made when he had given to John on the island of Patmos this information. 19. He said to him, "John, I want you to write the things which you have seen, the things which are, and the things which shall come hereafter." 19. He divided for John, he divided for you and I the book of the Revelation. 19. Chapter 1, the things which John has seen. 19. Chapter 2 and 3, the things which are. 19. Chapter 4, the things which will come hereafter, dealing with the tribulation period, with the last final days.

19. After the church, the heavenly company is going to be taken outside of this scene. 19. We have already covered really six churches and we are kind of moving on into the final church, the church of Laodicea. 19. But I want to highlight just a little bit more this message today. 19. The fact that the church of Philadelphia is that kind of a church that really the Lord has nothing to condemn. 19. Nothing to say evil or bad about. 19. But he's commending that particular church. 19. Philadelphia comes from the word phileo, which has to do with the word of brotherly love. 19. The love that have existed among the brothers and sisters in this local assembly.

19. And he's writing and he says to the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia. 19. In verse 7, he says, write these things. 19. And the one that is writing to this church of Philadelphia is the one that is holy, that is true, that has the key of David. 19. And the one that says that he openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth. 19. The one that wrote to this church is this holy one and we remember we have spoken about him. 19. He is the one that was born to the virgin Miriam. 19. He was holy and there was no sin in this man, in this Messiah, which proved the fact that he could only be the one that will be the redeemer of mankind.

19. He was holy in his birth, he was holy in his life, and he was holy in his death. 19. If you remember at the end of the scriptures, even in the book of Acts, in chapter 2, it was Peter and the saints in Jerusalem who said about the holy one that you will not allow thine holy one to see corruption, speaking about his death. 19. So when he was born, this holy one which will be born of you, in his death when he died, he was that unique and holy one. 19. And it's great for us to see that that holy one is the one that had saved us, the one that had made us to be qualified in the presence of God because he paid the price for us.

19. He was that holy one. Holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners. 19. That's the one that is writing to the Church of Philadelphia. 19. But he's not only holy, it says here that he is the true, he is the genuine one, the one that is the real. 19. You know, everything around us is so unreal in the world around us. 19. The things around us, the world around us, what the world offers the people of God to mankind is not real. 19. He is a counterfeit. It's not genuine. He is speaking about himself as the true, the one that is the real genuine, the real one, the one that is able to help the people of God.

19. He is the one that said of himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one come to the Father but by me." 19. But then it says also, if you remember, we have talked about it in verse 7, it says that he is the one that has the key of David. 19. What's the key of David? It is he is the right heir to the throne of David. 19. That expression, key of David, is not found anywhere else, except that in the book of Isaiah, the prophet of Israel. 19. Where Israel who have gone away from the Lord, and the Lord had to raise another man to sit there and to lead the nation.

19. And to restore the nation back to the God of Israel, a man by the name of El-Yakim, who is a type of the Messiah of Israel. 19. To him, he had given the keys of David. In other words, he is the one that he said, "You will open, and no one will be able to shut, and you will shut, and no one will be able to open." 19. And this El-Yakim is a picture of the Messiah. The word El-Yakim means God will raise. 19. And God has raised a man by the name of Yeshua, and made him the one that is able to redeem a people for himself.

19. He also said, he is writing to Philadelphia, and he said, "I am the one that is opening, and no one will be able to close. I am the one that is closing, and no one will be able to open." 19. You know, sometime in ministry, in the things of the Lord, it is so said that men, in general, seem to lack their appreciation and understanding 19. That it is only as the Lord Jesus opening the door that we are able to enter in, and to be able to serve him, and to be able to be a blessing to others. 19. We cannot lead a soul to Jesus. It is only the Lord himself that bring a person to himself.

19. We are not able to save a person. We are not able to even encourage properly a person, unless the Lord is the one who opens the door and uses us. 19. And that's what he is saying to the church of Philadelphia. "I am the one that is writing to you." 19. And he is encouraging this church, and you see how precious the description of the Lord Jesus in verse 7. 20. Holy. True. Have the key of David. Opening the door and no one able to shut. Shutting the door and no one is able to open. 20. And so it is giving us, and it is giving to this church an encouragement to say, "I know what you are doing.

20. I know, I am able to bless you and to use you in the ministry that I have given unto you." 20. In verse 8 now, of the same chapter 3, we have the commendation that he is telling. 21. And I like that. And I want to re-emphasize it. I know we have already spoken about this one time. 21. I want to re-emphasize this in verse 8, this part here. 22. He is calling them, he is telling them three things in verse 8. 22. "I know your works," he said. "Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it. 22. For you have a little strength, and you have kept my word, and you have not denied my name." 22.

You see, what he is saying here in this verse 8, he is saying to the church of Philadelphia, 23. You see, you have a little bit of strength. 23. And because you have a little strength, what brought about the little strength that you have? 23. Two things. Number one, you have kept my word, and number two, you have not denied my name. 23. Those two statements tell us a lot about the church of Philadelphia, and it tells us also a lot about condition in a local assembly. 23. How do we know to see a church or a local assembly today anywhere in this world? 24. How do we see that that particular church has strength, spiritual strength?

24. Well, you will find it in those two ways. 25. Number one, they keep the word of God. They take it seriously. 25. That's why when we come to the meeting here, when we come to our Bible classes every Thursday, 25. We are not going to come to merely only to sing or even to have a time of fellowship with each other. 25. That is important, and it is a real blessing. 25. But we come to study the word of God, and we have come to study the word of God in order that the word of God will leave an impact on our life, 25. will help us in our spiritual growth.

25. And so this church of Philadelphia apparently kept his word. 26. They stuck to the word of God. They sought to live for the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. 26. They have not set aside the word of God. They took the canon of the word, the canon of Scripture, and appropriated it to their life. 26. They use it for the preaching. They use it for the sharing. 27. They use the word of God for the edification of people and for the building up of the people of God. 27. But they also did not deny his name. 27. This church, this local assembly in Philadelphia did not deny the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

27. What is it to deny the name of the Lord? 27. You see, even we have in our class just recently, I think it was last Thursday night or Thursday morning, 28. We were trying to discuss the difference between those who accept the Lord and those who reject salvation through the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. 28. This church, Philadelphia, did not deny the name of Yeshua the Messiah. 29. Meaning what? 29. Meaning simply this: 29. That if anyone will ever be in a right relationship with God, 29. He must come through the name of the Lord Jesus, through the person of the Lord Jesus. 29. Why? 29. It's simply this: 29. Because there is no other way to enter into a relationship with God other than through the name of the Lord Jesus.

29. You remember what we read in the book of Acts? 29. There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. 29. Acts chapter 4 and verse 12. 29. And it is important to recognize, just like this church of Philadelphia, that they did not deny the name of Yeshua the Messiah. 29. They did not deny His name. 29. Thou shalt call His name Yeshua, for He shall save His people from their sins. 29. This was a saved group of believers that did not deny the name of the Lord, and they kept His word. 29. And through this, they had the strength, that they have had spiritual strength. 29. We only strong as much as the grace and the strength that we receive from the Lord.

29. This church, the church of Philadelphia, have been receiving the strength of the Lord. 29. It is better to have little strength that comes from the Lord, and much strength that come from human effort, 29. From fleshly activity, from that which is the human opinion and human ingenuity. 29. It's better to have a little bit of strength that coming from the Lord, 29. Than a lot of strength and appearance of strength that come from human effort. 29. And so we find this church, the church of Philadelphia, having little strength. 29. And you remember what the Apostle Paul, I mentioned this already, 29. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12, when the Lord gave him a thorn in the flesh, 29.

Because he had seen so much revelation. 29. He had seen so much from the Lord. 29. He had been taken to the third heaven, and he received a special revelation from the Lord. 29. And the Apostle Paul, Shaul, could have said, "Wow! Look at me! I received so much revelation from God!" 30. Well, the Lord had given to him a thorn in his flesh. 31. Why? Because he wanted to teach this particular Apostle the necessity of not trusting in himself, 31. But trusting in the Lord Jesus the Messiah. 31. So he prayed three times, and he asked that the Lord will take it away from him. 31. And the Lord told him very simply, "My grace is sufficient for thee." 31.

Paul recognizes when I'm weak, then I'm strong. 31. Beloved, we need that in our life. 31. We need to recognize the weakness that we have in ourselves, that we will go out in the power of the Lord. 31. Well, in verse 9, up to verse 13, the Lord Yeshua now giving the promise to the church of Philadelphia. 31. And you notice that in verse 9, he said, "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say that they are Jews and are not, but do lie. 31. Behold, I will make them to come and to worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." 31. That's the first promise.

31. That those that claim to be the people of God, and really they are not, 32. Eventually they are going to come and to worship at the feet of the believers of Philadelphia, the believers. 32. Those that say that they are the people of God, but in reality not the people of God, eventually will worship at the feet of those that are the true people of God. 32. Those that are the redeemed people. 33. In verse 10, he says to them, "Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, 33 which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth." 33.

And I am going to emphasize this again and again and again in our teaching. 33. We come from the position, understanding of Scripture, that the Church, the Bride of the Messiah is not going to stay here for the Tribulation period. 34. The Bride of the Messiah is going to be taken out of here prior to the beginning of the Tribulation. 34. The promise for that is found right here in verse 10. 34. "Because you have kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, 35 which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth." 35. By the way, the hour of temptation does not speak about one single hour of 60 minutes.

35. Speaking about a period of time that is known in the Scripture to be as the Day of the Lord in the Old Testament. 35. The prophets of Israel always use this expression, the Day of the Lord, the Day of the Lord. 35. They were speaking about a certain period of time that will be a day of judgment, a time of judgment where God is going to judge this world in righteousness. 35. It is known as the word as the Tribulation period. You read in Matthew chapter 24 where Yeshua said there will be such a time of Tribulation that have never been before upon the face of this earth. 35. It's called also Jacob's trouble in Jeremiah chapter 30.

It's called an awful day, a terrible day in Sephaniah chapter 1 verses 14 to 16. 35. It's called an awful day from which the hour of temptation from which the Lord Jesus will keep the believers, the bride of the Messiah, the bride of Christ, outside from the day from this particular hour of temptation. 36. Why? Because they have kept his word, the word of his patience. In other words, they have trusted him, they have accepted him, they made him the Lord of their lives. 36. They might suffer here and now, tribulation in this world, every day of their life they might have had, but they will be kept from the hour of temptation, that special time of Tribulation period.

36. Now this is a reason for people to realize when the Tribulation time will come, those that are unsaved, those that are without the Messiah, those that they have their sins not forgiven yet, they will have to go through terrible time in the Tribulation period. 36. In fact, the whole book of Revelation, from chapter 4 all the way to the end, we can say from chapter 6 to the end, to chapter 19, devoted to this terrible time that's going to fall upon the face of this earth. 37. Those that rejected the Messiahship of Yeshua. Israel as a nation, our own people will have to go through the Tribulation and come out at the end of the Tribulation, 37.

As a nation that has been refined, redeemed, when they're going to finally accept the Messiahship of Yeshua. 37. And so he also gave us the promise to be kept out from the hour of temptation, from the Tribulation time. 37. Now notice it's verse 11, he continues, and he gives an additional promise, "I come quickly, hold fast that which you have, that no man will take away thy crown." 37. Now crowns are given to believers. The crown of joy. The crown of rejoicing. The crowns that the believers will receive because of their faithfulness as they walk with the Lord here in this world. 37. But even those crowns, if you read in chapter 4, the believer is going to cast that at the feet of Yeshua, telling him, "We do not deserve this crown.

Thou art worthy." 37. So you see, he's promising that he's coming very quickly. He says, "Hold fast that which you have. 37. What you and I have to hold fast to it, to stand firm, to continue on in spite of challenges." 37. We must continue on. We must hold fast to that, "Lest any man will take thy crown." 37. Notice, he doesn't say, "Lest anyone will take your salvation." 37. No one can take the salvation from a believer, but the crown, it has to do with rewards in connection with the millennial age. 37. You and I are going to be rewarded for faithfulness, for steadfastness. We will be rewarded. 37. Rewards can be taken away.

You know, if you have a child in school and you're supposed to give them a reward because of something that they have done, 37. Well, you give them the reward when they have done well. They have done something proper. 37. They have been reading their books, perhaps. They have been quoting their verses. 37. You reward them. Well, they need to continue on because otherwise they will not receive that reward. 37. Well, it's the same thing here. "Hold fast that which you already have." He says, "Lest any man will take thy crown." 37. And thank God that the salvation for the believer, no one can take this away. 37. Maybe rewards because of lack of faithfulness and ongoing movement for the Lord.

37. But the salvation is secure because of the blood that Yeshua the Messiah has shed for us. 37. You remember John 10, "My sheep hear my word and I know them and they shall never perish." 37. No one is able to take them out of my Father's hand, the Lord Jesus the Messiah has said in John chapter 10. 37. And now notice quickly verse 12. Notice another promises that he gives to the church of Philadelphia. 38. He says, "Him that overcometh, I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. 38. 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, 38.

Which is the new Yerushalayim, which cometh down out from heaven from my God and I will write upon him my new name." 38. Another promises that he gives to the church of Philadelphia, "I will make that person a pillar in the house or in the temple of my God." 39. A pillar is that which holds on the building. It's a firm fixed pillar in the temple. 39. What's going to happen? The believers, the overcomers, the one that continue on are going to be pillars in the temple of the Lord. 39. It's a fixed pillar that's not going to be moved, going to be part of the temple of the God of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

39. So he's saying, "He shall go no more out and I will write upon him the name of my God." 39. The name of the Lord, as he said, the name of the Father, the name of God will be written upon those that belong to the Father. 39. You know, in Revelation 7, every one of the 144,000 Hebrews that are going to be testifying for the Messiahship of Yeshua in the tribulation period, 39. They're going to be marked by the Lord in the forehead as a testimony, as a protection for them. 39. They're going to be associated with the Messiah. That's what happened here. 39. Those ones that belong to Yeshua, their names are going to be the name of the Lord, the name of God is going to be written upon them.

39. And then it says, even at the end of the verse, he says, "I will write upon him my new name." 39. Not only the name of God, also the new name of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. 40. It speaks to us about the new creation, new life, new name, new life that the person has received when a person has become a believer in Yeshua. 40. He that hath an ear, verse 13. Let him hear what the Spirit is saying unto the churches. 41. This challenge is not only to the Church of Philadelphia. It's not only to one of the seven churches in Asia Minor. 41. He that hath an ear. Let him hear what the Holy Spirit of God is speaking and telling to the churches, to all believers, 41.

To all the people who profess to take the name of the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. 41. And that's applied to you and I as well, brothers and sisters. 41. And so here is the Church of Philadelphia. Now, before we're going to move to the Laodicean Church to talk a little bit about the first few verses there, 41. Let me just remind you, when it come to the local setting, there was a real city by the name of Philadelphia to which the Lord Jesus was writing. 42. There was a local church. There was a brotherly love. 42. There was a relationship between the brothers and sisters, which have been a real testimony to the neighboring people, to the people around them.

42. Secondly, the condition of that brotherly love, such as Philadelphia, is existing in some churches today. 43. They may have been existing in some local assembly here in Toronto. 43. Or maybe in elsewhere in Europe or in Jerusalem, in Israel, anywhere in the world where there's kind of characteristic that we have here. 44. You may find some churches that have this type of relationship, a faithful local assembly, holding on to the name of the Lord Jesus. 44. They come in together, they study the word, and they have a good relationship among themselves. 45. They care for each other. That is a church condition, like the condition of Philadelphia. 45. So we have the local setting in Asia Minor.

45. We have the condition that may have been in the world in churches today. 45. But also, you remember, when we are talking about the prophetic setting, the Church of Philadelphia really represent to us the missionary period from about 1700 to 1800 AD. 45. Just about a few hundred years ago, where they started, missionaries have been sent to the world. 45. The love of God had been presented to a world of darkness. 45. And missionaries have been sharing the word of God around the world. 45. And that's how the Church of Philadelphia represents to us today. 45. And since that time, time passes by, and we are right now in the year of 2008. 45. And you and I really, while some in the world church today will be represented by the Church of Philadelphia, 45.

The rest, I would like to suggest, are being really represented by the Church of Laodicea. 45. And Laodicea is the final church in the seven churches that Yeshua the Messiah was writing to 2,000 years ago. 45. And the Church of Laodicea really representing the Church today, the general Church today. 45. And let's just go on in the verses that are before us to talk a little bit about the Church of Laodicea. 45. Let me read the first few verses. 45. And unto the angel of the Church of the Laodicean write, 45. These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. 45. And I'm going to pause here for a moment.

45. I don't know if you took a note when you read your Bible. 45. Every church that the Lord Jesus wrote to, except to, 45. He wrote unto the church which is in a certain city. 45. You notice that? 45. Every church that He wrote to, He wrote unto the church which is in, for example, Smyrna. 45. And to the church which is in Pergamos. 45. And to the church which is in Tyataira. 45. And to the church which is in Sardis. 45. And to the church which is in Philadelphia. 45. But when He came to the Church of Laodicea, He doesn't use this same expression. 46. Notice, look at the reading in verse 14. 46. And to the angel of the Church of the Laodiceans.

46. He doesn't say unto the angel of the church in Laodicea. 46. No. He said unto the angel of the church of the Laodicean people. 46. What He is saying to us, even by this expression, is that this particular church is no longer belong to the Lord. 47. It belong to the Laodicean people and not to the Lord. 47. Interesting, isn't it? 47. Look at this again in verse 14. 47. And unto the angel of the church, not in Laodicea, but of, and not of Laodicea, but of the Laodiceans. 48. You notice that in verse 14? 48. The church of the Laodicean is a church that is really belongs to the people. 49. In fact, the meaning of the word Laodicea or Laodicean means people rule.

49. Not the Lord's rule, but people rule. 49. People make their decision and they claim to be the church and they are really ruling. It's not the Lord. 49. That is exactly what is represented by the church of the Laodiceans. 49. It's people rule. It's people who are making a decision now. 49. Can you imagine? They might have even the Bible in their hands, but they set the Bible aside and they say, 49. Listen, I have my opinion. And I have my opinion, the other one says. 49. And it has become the rule of the people. 49. The people have become an organization where it is the people who are making a decision and the things of the Lord are being set aside.

49. That's what we see in the church of the Laodiceans. 49. It's the Lord is no longer there and it is the Laodicean people, the professing Christian, who are making decisions. 49. You know, I tell you, these things are going on today in many, many professing churches today. 49. It's not what thus says the Lord. 49. No. It is thus says the people. 49. We want to make a decision. We want to have our own opinion and we're going to gather together and we're going to all express our opinion and what I like and what she like and what he like and what they like. 49. And never mind what the Lord says in his word.

49. You know what's happening in those kind of churches? 49. People make a decision, they decide, well, you know what, let's make a vote if we like our pastor or not. 49. So they vote together, oh, we don't like a pastor. You know why? 49. Because he's talking too much to my conscience and he bothers me so I got to remove him so I'll find another pastor, another spiritual leader so he can speak some things that I like to hear. 49. You see, we have itchy ears and we like to hear things that are tickling our ears. 49. That's what happened today. 49. How many spiritual leaders are being set aside out of the places that God has set them because the people made a decision.

49. You see, it's majority rule. 49. Never mind what the scripture says and therefore there is no longer spiritual leadership in that local church. 49. It is the people who make a decision. 49. That's what happened in the church of the Laodicean. 49. Unto the angel of the church of the Laodicean write. 49. The Lord Jesus is writing to them. 49. And apparently, beloved, you will see that in the text. 49. You will see that as we're going to move on into this text. 49. The Laodicean church is the apostate church. 49. It's apostasy when they have departed from the ABC of the Bible and set up their own rule and their own organization and the Lord Jesus is no longer in the midst of the people.

49. He is outside. He is no longer inside. 49. And you know, when we have this type of professing church, we find ourselves in a club, in an organization, in a godless area where God is outside and the people make a decision that is not based upon the word of God. 49. And he's writing to this church. 49. And that church is a church that is really representing from about the 18, 1900 and so on. 49. It takes us all the way to the present day. 49. It is the people rule. 49. It is the judgment of the people, the ruling of the people, and no longer the word of God. 49. You know what?

You go to a church as today that people read from a Bible because the people don't like to hear the word Father. 50. And they say, well, God is a father. Well, God could be a mother, you see. 50. So they have a Bible that says a mother God. 51. And then they don't like certain things that the Bible clearly says. 51. So they change the word, do put things into it that they like, and then what happens? 51. There is no longer the things of God being maintained. 51. The people make their decision. 52. And so they change translation. 52. They say, well, they don't believe in the divine nature of the Lord.

52. Well, he's not a perfect man. He's not God. He's only a human being. 52. And they don't accept the deity of the Lord. 53. They don't accept the perfect humanity of the Lord. 53. They don't accept the perfection of the Bible, the divinely inspired word of God. 53. They change all kinds of things. 54. Well, there is no longer only male and female because there is male and male and female and female. 54. And the pastor or the spiritual leadership do not have to be a man. 54. It could be a women. 55. And then there's marriage. 55. You don't have to get married to a husband and wife. 55. It could be two women or two men and on and on and on and on.

55. And the Lord is outside. 55. But the professing as if it is the church is continue on. 55. That is the apostate church that we know from the word of God. 55. And you see what's happening. 55. We're going to talk about it not only today. 55. We're going to take another session on that and talk about what it means apostasy 55. And what are we to do in a time such as this when it's come to apostasy. 55. But notice what the Lord Jesus describing himself to this particular church of Laodicea. 55. In verse 14, he is writing and he's saying to them, "Who is the one that is writing?" 55. It says, "These things say as the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." 55.

Now he says here four things about himself. 55. Number one is the Amen. 55. What does it mean the Amen? 55. You know, every time when we pray, 55. When one pray, the rest of the people who listen to that pray and agree with that say, "Amen." 55. Amen. True. What he said, true. I'm accepting. I'm agreeing with that. 55. You remember how many times Yeshua said in the New Testament? 55. Truly, truly, I say unto you. 55. The Hebrew word is, "Amen, Amen, Omer, Ani Lachem." 55. Amen, Amen, I say unto you. 55. In other words, he is the one that is the Amen, the true one, 55. The one that is the Establoser of the Word and the Promises of God.

55. Look at the verse, please, in 2 Corinthians, chapter 1 and verse 20. 55. Look what we read about the Lord Himself. 55. Paul, the Apostle, writing to the Corinthians, and he said, "For all the Promises of God, in Him are ye, and in Him, Amen, unto the glory of God by us." 55. Paul is saying about Yeshua, the Messiah, that He is the one that all the Promises of God are wrapped up in Him. 55. He is the true one. He is the Amen. 55. Every promise of God is fulfilled to the people of God by that Amen one, by the Messiah Himself. 55. He is the one that is fulfilling and establishing the promises of God.

55. And every promise that we have in the Scripture, He promises that He is going to keep it. 55. We don't keep promises. He does. 55. We fail short of the glory of God. He doesn't. 55. We are lacking consistency. He doesn't. He is the Amen. 55. All the Promises of God are found in Him. 55. And that's what the Apostle Paul is mentioning in 2 Corinthians, chapter 1 and verse 20. 55. So, He is writing to the church of Laodiceans, those of the people who are ruling and the people who are doing their own thing. 55. And He is saying to them, "You know what? I am the one that all what the promises of God will be established through me." 55.

I am writing to you. I am addressing you, Laodicean. 55. These things, I am the Amen, the one that all the promises of God will be established by. 55. I am writing to you, the Laodicean community there. 55. But not only this. 55. He continues in verse 14. 55. And He says, "This thing says not only the Amen, but the faithful and true witness." 55. You know what a faithful witness does? 55. He is bringing about faithfully things that need to be corrected in the life, in the community of the people who claim to be the people of God. 55. He is faithful in presenting this before the people of God. 55. He is a faithful witness.

55. And He is not only a faithful witness, He continues in the same ways, He is also a true witness to the things of God. 55. He is a true witness. 55. He is going to reveal to the Laodicean the reality of their condition. 55. He is going to bring it up. 55. He is going to present it, bring it to light. 55. He is faithful and He is a true witness. 55. He is addressing the church of the Laodicean who had such an apostate condition there. 55. And to them He addressed Himself as the Amen, as the faithful and the true witness. 55. One more thing He is saying to them in the same verse.

55. It says here in verse 14 at the end, "The beginning of the creation of God." 55. Now you know who loved this statement? 55. The Jehovah Witness loved very much this statement. 55. The beginning of the creation of God. 55. You know why they like this statement? 55. Because it tells them, at least they think, you see, ah, 55. He is a proof that He was the beginning, you see. He was created, you see. 55. He is not God, but He is a God. 55. He is not divine. He is created. He is the beginning, you see. 55. God created many things and God created Him as well. 55. That's what they are saying. 55. But they don't tell us the whole truth.

55. Because when you say this expression, the beginning in the Greek, 55. does not only mean when something starts, but also the originator of all things. 55. This one that is writing is the originator of all things. 55. He is not the beginning, only He is the source of all things. 55. Out of Him, everything comes out. 55. He is the one that originated everything. 55. And it's so sad when people seem to belabor and labor and spend time and energy to belittle the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. 55. To say He is not God. 55. To say He is not Jehovah of the Old Testament. 55. To say He is not divine. 55. Well, they take this kind of verse and they take and they said, 55.

Oh, He said Himself, He is the beginning of the creation of God. 55. You see, God created many things and He is the beginning, He is the first creation of God. 55. No, beloved. That is not what the text tells us here. 55. The text tells us that He is the originator and He is the source of the creation of God. 55. How do we know that? 55. First of all, Genesis 1 verse 1. 55. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 55. The word for God there in Genesis is the Hebrew word Elohim. 55. And Elohim is the plurality of the Godhead that all the three persons, all the triune God have been involved in the creation of everything that had been created.

55. All the triune God have been involved in creation. 55. But that is not only this. 55. If you please turn with me to the Gospel of John for a moment. 55. John chapter 1. I want to read the verses there. 55. John 1 verse 1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 55. Notice that? John saying that that Word was God. 55. He, or the same, was in the beginning with God. 55. And then he tells us in verse 3. 55. All things were made by Him, and without Him there was not anything made which was made. 55. He is a creator. He is the source of the creation of God.

55. Verse 3. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. 55. The creator. The one who became a man. 55. When He was born in Beit Lechem, Ephrata, in the land of Israel. 55. At the same time that He was born as a baby and entered into this world as a human being, 55. He was also upholding all things by the word of His power. 55. The same one that had entered into this world as a baby, as a tinok, as we say in Hebrew, 55. He is the very same one who uphold all things by the word of His power. 55. All things were made by Him, and without Him was nothing made which was made.

55. Precious to realize that. 55. Colossians chapter 1. Here's another verse in verse 15. 55. Paul now is writing. 55. John writing in the Gospel. 55. Paul is writing in the Epistle. 55. And Paul is saying in verse 15 of Colossians chapter 1. 55. He is the image of the invisible God. 55. The firstborn of every creation, or every creature. 55. By Him were all things created. 55. Things that are in heaven. 55. Things that are on earth. 55. And the things that are invisible. 55. Whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or power. 55. All things were created by Him, and for Him. 55. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. 55. Beloved, listen. 55. He is the Creator and Upholder of all things.

55. And John, in the Revelation, received from the glorified Messiah to say, "I am." 55. You tell to the loudest seeing in church, "I am the Amen." 55. I am the faithful witness. 55. I am the true witness. 55. But I am also the source of the creation of God. 55. You know what, beloved? 55. Amazing. 55. That people like you and I, who long to find out satisfaction in this world, 55. Can never find it outside of the source. 55. And the source is the one who wrote to the loudest seeing. 55. The source of the creation of God. 55. The originator is the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. 55. And no one will ever be completely satisfied unless they link themselves with that particular person.

55. The Lord Jesus, our Messiah. 55. And He is right into the loudest seeing. 55. They pretended and they played as if they were going on through the motion. 55. But actually, it was no longer the Lord's church. 55. He was outside. 55. They left Him out. 55. And they had the rule that they have set for themselves. 55. Going through the motion. 55. Setting the person that was supposed to be the central theme. 55. Setting Him outside. 55. And having their own human ingenuity in that particular area. 55. And so, He's writing to them in verse 14. 55. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodicean write, 55. These things says the Amen, the faithful, and the true witness, the beginning, the source of the creation of God.

55. And now listen. Look what He tells them. 55. In the next verses, verse 15, 16, and 17, He is telling them some of the wrong things that were going on there. 55. He tells them actually a few things. 55. First of all, in verse 15, He tells them that they are really lukewarm. 55. Notice verse 15. 55. I know your works that thou art neither cold nor hot. 55. Verse 15. You are not cold and you're not hot. 55. He says, I would that you were cold or hot. 55. You see, let me say that in the professing Christian community, we really have three types of condition. 55. Those that are cold, that nothing moves their hearts towards the Lord.

55. They are so cold towards the Lord that they will not move towards Him. 55. There are those that are hot and are yearning for the Lord things. 55. They are yearning to learn more about Him. 55. Their bird, their heart is moving towards Him. 55. But then there are those that are lukewarm. 55. Neither this way nor this way. 55. No affect. 55. They are like, you know, you try to drink lukewarm tea. 55. You will not enjoy it. You want a hot tea. 55. When you are thirsty in a hot summer and you try to drink lukewarm water. 55. Now we can drink everything and thank God for what He gives us. 55. But you want to have a cold ice water that will make an effect upon you.

55. You will quench your thirst. 55. But you see what happened. He is saying to them, to this church, he says, you know what? 55. You are neither hot and neither cold. 55. He said, I wish that you had either hot towards me or cold. 55. But you are kind of wishy-washy. 55. You are lukewarm. 55. You are neither hot nor cold. 55. He is warning them. Let me show you that. 55. Turn to the Gospel of Matthew in chapter 24. 55. Deal with the tribulation period. 55. And look, hear the cold heart. 55. Look what we read here. 56. The Lord is speaking and telling these events that are going to happen in the future days 56. The disciples before He is going to be taken away from them.

56. They ask Him those questions. 57. When shall those things be? 57. When shall be the sign of your coming? 57. And when shall be the sign of the end of the days, the last days? 57. Look what He is telling them. 57. From verse 4 on, He began to speak to them in Matthew chapter 24. 58. But just highlight this verse 12. 58. Because of iniquity, that iniquity will abound. 58. The love of many shall wax cold. 59. Iniquity that will be arising in the tribulation period. 59. Iniquity that will sin, that will be brought up and be arising and be awakened, if you will. 59. Be abounding. 59. The love of many shall wax cold. 59. Call towards the Lord.

59. Call towards the things of God. 61. Enjoying the pleasure of sin and iniquity in the world and setting God aside. 61. And because of this, their love towards the Lord and the things of the Lord will wax cold. 61. This is, by the way, is a picture of an unregenerated individual. 61. Cold towards the things of God. 61. No reaction towards the Lord. 61. Coldness, you know. 62. You know, we can talk about it even with relationship with each other. 62. You know, even a relationship between husband and wife. 62. How important is to be not cold towards each other. 63. You know, we say this expression, boy, he or she are so cold. 63. There's no affection.

There's no response. 64. It doesn't matter what you do. There is no reaction. 64. Coldness. 64. It's like when we use this expression, he or she are dead. Cold. 64. That's the expression. It speaks about the person that have a heart that is cold towards the things of the Lord. 64. Now turn to the Gospel of Luke. And you'll see the other side. 64. Luke chapter 24. The Messiah after his resurrection. 64. There were two disciples that were on the way to Emmaus. 64. And look at this. When it's come to these disciples, they burned their heart. 64. And God wanted so much to learn about the Lord. 64. And all of a sudden, the Lord appeared to them.

64. And in verse 13, it says in Luke chapter 24. 64. Behold, two of them went the same day to a village which is called Emmaus. 64. Which was from Jerusalem about three score furlongs. 64. And they talked together of all the things which happened. 64. And it came to pass that while they commuted together by the way. 64. And they reasoned among themselves that Yeshua, in verse 15, drew near. 64. And He went with them. And their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. 64. He continued. And He asked them, "What manner of communication are these that ye have one with another, as ye walk and as ye are sad?" 65. And one of them, by the name of Clophas, answering and said unto him, "Are thou only a stranger in Jerusalem?" 65.

And hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?" 66. And He said unto them, "What things?" 66. And they said unto them, "Concerning Yeshua from Nazareth, which was a prophet, mighty indeed, and in word before God and all the people." 66. And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death and have crucified Him. 67. But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel. 67. And beside all this, He says, "Today is the third day since these things were done." 67. And then it says in verse 25, "He said unto them, O fools and slow of heart, to believe all that the prophets have spoken, hath not the Messiah to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory." 67.

And the beginning from Moses, from Moshe, and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scripture the things concerning Himself. 67. And you notice now, just going down, as He began to share with them, and you notice what we read in verse 32. 67. And they said one to another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened unto us the scripture? 67. And they rose up the same hour, and they returned to Jerusalem," and so on. 67. "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened unto us the scriptures?" 67.

Look at the two extreme, beloved brothers and sisters. 68. When the iniquity will rise and will multiply in the tribulations, period, the hearts of many will wax cold. 68. But when there were few individuals who longed after the Messiah, who really wanted Him and fell in love with Him, they wanted to hear what He has to say to them. 68. And when He spoke with them, by the way, they said, "Did not our heart burn within us?" 69. And their heart was so moved because He opened unto them the scriptures, He opened their eyes, He opened their understanding, and their hearts were so yearning and burning. 69. You know, beloved brothers and sisters, one of the signs of our spiritual state is when our hearts are yearning to be in the presence of the Lord, when we want to hear about Him, when we hear a message from the Lord, our hearts are so filled with joy because the Lord had been presented to our hearts.

69. That is a sign not only of a saved person, but a person that is his or her spiritually conditioned, they have a condition that is a healthy condition. 69. But when the heart is cold, ice cold, no reality, no response, no desire for the Lord, like an ice stone without any response to the Lord, that is a sad condition that is existing. 69. But the Lord says you either be saved or lost, but don't put your one foot here, another foot here, you know, you're pretending you are something, but you are really not something, not really in relationship with me. 70. He said, "I wish that you were either this way or this way." But not lukewarm, because that is a rather sad condition.

And this is the other condition of a heart, is a lukewarm heart of what we have here in the 15th verse and also in the 16th verse. 70. "I know your works," he said, "that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that ye were cold or hot." But then the first part of verse 16, "So then because you are lukewarm." "Indifferent heart to the word of God." It's an indifferent heart. That's the lukewarmness of the condition of the church, of the layered scenes. 70. That's why. It was their church. See, it was not his. It was an apostate church. It was not his. It is a church that have gone, a professing church that will eventually will be spewed out of the mouth of the Lord.

70. And so you can see now in verse 16. And I'm going to move to verse 16 quickly here. At the end of the verse, he says, "So then," he says, "because you are lukewarm, indifferent heart," he says, "and neither cold nor hot." And I'm going to spew you out of my mouth. And I'm going to spew you out of my mouth. This is the professing church that the Lord will spew eventually out of his mouth. This is a church that will stay here in the tribulation period. They will not, they are, this is unsaved. And I'm using the word church because the word church is said unto the angel of the church.

The word church is used here. But this is an apostate church. A church that is merely by name a church, but in reality not a hot and burning and yearning towards the things of the Lord and towards the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Now look what this church is saying. And I'm going to stop here with verse 17 because we want to move on in the next meeting together to finalize the church of Laodicean and to see what it really means to us. In verse 17, Yeshua is showing to us here the apostate condition of this church. They did not have a heart burning for God, and they did not have a heart that valued Him.

They were proud in themselves and what they gained and what they had in themselves. It says in verse 17, "Because you sayeth," you notice, it is the church saying, not what I say, but they say. He said, "Because you say, I am rich," verse 17, "And I'm increased with goods, and I have no need of nothing, and you do not know that you are wretched, you are miserable, you are poor, and you are blind, and you are naked." Look what he's saying to them. He said, "You said," he said, "You saying yourself," he said, "I am rich." By the way, he takes the church of the Laodicean, for the condition that existed.

Laodicea was a wealthy city. There was a lot of wealth in that city. There was richness and wealth. And you see, this is a church that is in the world. They are rich, you know, and maybe you will turn your TV on and you will find those people that have magnificent buildings. Church buildings, stained glass windows, big steeples, lots of bills. Maybe you are going to look and you will see golden ceilings. And everything is wealthy, and the richest, and the wealthiest. And they say, "You see, I am rich." He said, "I am increased with goods." And then he says, "I have need of nothing." You know, "Lord, just don't you bother me in my life.

Let me play the game of being a Christian. Let me play church." "And I don't want you to disturb me with my life." I don't even enter into my life. I am rich. I am increased with goods. And I have need of nothing. I don't need you and I don't need anything. I don't need anybody." That's what this professing church was saying. And that's why the Lord says in the verse 16, He says, "I will spew you out of my mouth." And so, this is a sad condition of this church, and that tells us a lot. That tells us not that He condemned wealth here. You know, if you look in the biblical men of God, many of them were well-to-do men.

Abraham was a rich man. Solomon was a rich man. David was a wealthy man. Many were wealthy men and women of biblical time, but they didn't trust in that. They trusted in the Lord. They need nothing. They don't need the Lord. They have everything. You know, the moment that we get to a point that we say, "I don't need you now, Lord, and I'm fine." That is a dangerous place to be at. Sometimes we sing this song, "Oh, I need thee," every hour, every moment. Lord, we need you. We need you in a time where we have comfortable time, and we need you in a time we have difficult time.

But here is a church that said, "I am rich. I am increased with good, and I have need of nothing." He said, "But you do not know that you are wretched, that you are miserable, that you are poor, spiritually poor, spiritual poverty, that you are blind, spiritual blindness." "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for there is foolishness unto him." "You are blind and you are naked. Spiritually you are not clothed with the garment of salvation. You are naked. You are empty." And therefore, the Lord is challenging this church, the Laodicean age. So there was a definite not appreciation of the person of the Lord.

They did not have a heart that valued God. This is a characteristic of an apostate church. A church that is far away from the things of the Lord. Now quickly, before we are going to close, I would like you to turn to 1st Peter chapter 1 for the final statement here. I just want to read a verse there. 1st Peter chapter 1. And look what Peter says to the suffering believers. Actually, those believers were Hebrew Christians of 1st century. He is saying to them in verse 3 of chapter 1. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, which according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." You notice that?

Inheritance, verse 4, incorruptible, undefiled, fading not away, reserved in heaven for you. You see, the Laodicean church says, "I am rich." "I am rich," in verse 17, "I am increased with good and I have need of nothing." And he says, "You don't even realize that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked." That's the Laodicean church. And yet, Peter said to the first early believers, 1st century, he says, "You see, you have been brought into a relationship with the Lord Jesus the Messiah, and you have an inheritance, a wealth, that is incorruptible, that is undefiled, that is fading not away, and that is reserving for you, not here, but in heaven." And so, we learn from this, that the pride of the Laodiceans showed a lack of relationship with the Lord.

And this is a characteristic of an apostate church, which actually is not really belonging to the Lord, and will end up to be cast into the actual tribulation period. But in our next message, together, beloved brothers and sisters, we'll conclude that. And we'll move on to do the finality, what he's expecting from an individual to come out of that condition. And we will talk a little bit of how can we identify apostasy, and what characterize apostasy, and how by the scripture, how by the grace of God, one can get help to be brought out of it, and to be brought into a relationship with the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

Can we say amen to this? Amen.