ROBERT@kontu.utu.fi (Robert W. Johnson) (03/20/91)
In a series of articles I am going to present the entire Church history as
phrophezied in Revelation 2:1-3:22. These verses phrophezy concerning the
first Church to the last Church before the Lord returns.
If you would like a list of references on Church history please send me a
note.
Note: This posting is very long. It will be divided into seven parts (there
are epistles to seven Churches.) Each part will consist of one or more
subparts.
Part VI of VII - Subpart 1 of 2 of Part VI
CHAPTER 3
III. "THE THINGS WHICH ARE" --
THE SEVEN LOCAL CHURCHES
2:1-3:22
F. Church in Philadelphia --
the Church in Recovery
3:7-13
7 And to the (1)messanger of the church in (2)Philadelphia write: These
things says the (3a) holy One, the (b)true One, He Who has the (4c)key of
David, He Who opens and no one shall shut, and shuts and no one shall open:
(1) Gk. angel.
(2) "Philadelphia" in Greek means brotherly love. As a sign, the church in
Philadelphia prefigures the proper church life recovered by the brothers
raised up by the Lord in England in the early part of the nineteenth century.
Just as the reformed church, prefigured by the church in Sardis, was a reaction
to the apostate Catholic Church, prefigured by the church in Thyatira, so
the church of brotherly love is a reaction to the dead reformed church. This
reaction will continue as an anti--testimony to both apostate Catholicism
and degraded Protestism until the Lord comes back.
(3) To the church of brotherly love, the Lord is "the holy One, the true
One," by Whom and with Whom the recovered church can be holy, separated from
the world, and true, faithful, to God.
(4) To the recovered church, the Lord is also the One Who has "the key of
David," the key of the kingdom, with authority to open and shut.
(a) Rev. 6:10; 16:5; 4:8; Isa. 6:3 (b) Rev. 3:14; 6:10; 19:11; 1 John 5:20;
John 14:6 (c) Isa. 22.22; cf. Matt. 16:19; Rev. 1:18
8 I (a)know your works; behold, Ihave (1)put before you an (2b)open
door which (c)no one can shut, because you have a little power and have
(d)kept My (3)Word and have not (e)denied My (3)name.
(1) Gk. given, a Hebraism.
(2) As the One Who has the key of David and Who opens and no one shall shut,
the Lord has given the recovered church "an open door which no one can shut."
Since the recovery of the proper church life began, in the early part of the
nineteenth century, until now, a door has always been wide open to the Lord's
recovery. The more organized Christianity tries to shut the door, the wider
it is open. In spite of much opposition, the door today is open worlwide.
the key is in the hand of the head of the church; it is not in the hands
of the opposors.
(3) The Word is the Lord's expression, and the name is the Lord Himself.
The apostate church has deviated from the Lord's Word and has become heretical.
The reformed church, though recovered to the Lord's Word to some extent, has
denied the Lord's name by denominating herself with many other names, such
as Luthern, Wesleyan, Anglican, Presbytreian, baptist, etc. The recovered
church has not only returned to the Lord's Word in a full way, but has also
abandoned all names other than that of the Lord Jesus Christ. The recovered
church belongs to the Lord absolutely, having nothing to do with any
denominations (any names). To deviate from the Lord's Word is apostosy,
and to denominate the church with any name other than the Lord's is spiritual
fornication. The church as the chaste virgin espoused to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2)
should not have any othr name than her husband's. All other names are an
abomination in the eyes of God. In the recovered church life we have no
teachings of Balaam (Rev. 2:14), no teachings of Nicolaitans (Rev. 2:15),
no teachings of Jezebel (Rev. 2:20), and not mysterious doctrines of Satan
(Rev. 2:24), but only the pure Word of the Lord. Amen! The recovered church
has no denominations (names), but the unique name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The deviation from the Word to heresies and the exaltation of so many names
other than that of Christ are the most striking signs of degraded Christianity.
The return to the pure Word from all heresies and traditions and the exaltation
of the Lord's name are the most inspiring testimony in the recovered church.
This is why the church in the Lord's recovery has the revelation and presence
of the Lord and expresses the Lord in a living way, full of light and with
the riches of life.
(a) Rev. 2.2 (b) Acts 14:27; 2 Cor. 2:12; 1 Cor. 16:9; Col. 4:3 (c) Rev. 3:7
(d) rev. 3:10; 1:3 (e) Matt. 10:33; Rev. 2:13; Luke 12:9; 2 Tim. 2:12
-----
Robert W. Johnson
Computer center, The University of Turku, Turku Finland
robert@kontu.utu.fi (InterNet)
robert@firien.bitnet (BITNET)
The preceeding is my opinion and may not express the opinion of my employer
and furthermore has nothing to do with my employment.