The Closed Door Of Revelation

The Last Message Of Jesus Christ Part Four

We see three doors in Revelation. The first door is the open door at Philadelphia to evangelism. The second door is the closed door at Laodicea hindering Christ from moving among His people. The third door is the door John sees opening in heaven when the church is raptured off the earth to be with the Lord forever prior to a great outpouring of Judgment on planet Earth. We are living in the days of the second door, a closed door to our Lord who is zealously calling us back to repentance and to open that door to Him before it is too late. The call of this late hour before judgment is no longer corporate but individual. If any man will hear the voice of Christ, the Lord will certainly come in and sup with him and bring great grace and fellowship with Him. That will be needed in the days ahead more than any would care to understand. We must repent and open our hearts door to Him today!

By Chris McDonald

Rev. 3:19-20  - As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. [20] 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.
 

        I remember the winter of 1994 and that small church in the Kenya wilderness like it was yesterday. I was on a missions trip to Uganda and Kenya at the time. We had preached meetings in Kampala, Uganda as well as Nairobi, Kenya. This night was different though. The group hosting us had invited us to a church out in the middle of no where. When we arrived we did not find a sprawling cathedral. We found a dirt hut with no lights and no real seating. They had found a few chairs for us because we were their guest but the rest of the church had to stand - in the dark - to hear the gospel that rainy night in Nairobi.

        As I stood before the people the only light I had was a small flashlight one of the ministers had. He graciously assisted me lighting my Bible as well as interpreting the message for me on that night entitled, "The Open Door Of Revelation." I took the three doors found in the first four chapters of Revelation and preached how God was going to open the door wide for evangelism in Africa in the coming years. I preached that night as if I was in the largest church in America. I couldn't see the people that dark, rainy and damp night in Africa, but I heard them. As the night went on many came in the door and pushed together just to hear the word of the Lord. It made me ashamed that night to watch the hunger of these people who would come out in the rain and stand in a hot, damp and pitch black dark room just to listen to what the Lord would say to them.

        We can't get people here in America to come out on Sunday morning to air-conditioned, cushioned-pew multi-million dollar buildings and sit for more than an half hour until they're ready to leave and go watch sports on TV. God help us. We are going to be held so accountable for our blessings here in America and yet our lack of hunger for God. We are going to stand with no excuse for our failure to spread the gospel to the world. God has given us these blessings we have today not to hoard them and spend on foolish riches and gain but to use this wealth to take His word to the four corners of the earth!

The First And Third Doors Of Revelation

        There are three doors that we see in the book of Revelation. I want to talk about the first and third door briefly before I discuss the second door, the topic of this journal. The first and third doors are opened doors. The second door is a closed door. God opens the first and third, man closes the second. We are living in the day and age of the second door of Revelation, which we will deal with more in a moment. The first door of Revelation is the door of evangelism Christ opens to the Church At Philadelphia.

Rev. 3:8-10
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.

        The statement "I have set before you an open door," proclaims the missions activity of the Church, which began about the turn of the 19th Century (the 1800s). The time frame of this Church began about the year 1800, which saw the beginning of a worldwide Missions effort, very similar to the one carried out by the FIRST CHURCH through the Apostle Paul. The Gospel was being taken to the world.

        England was very instrumental in the 1800s in this great endeavor. The United States picked it up about the turn of the 20th Century. It's a door the Lord said "no man can shut," because it was the Lord who "opened it."

        While some countries may be shut out to the Gospel, on a worldwide basis it has opened up like never before. The call of world-wide evangelism is the mandate of the modern church. It is not the mandate of the church to build bigger buildings, build bigger social halls, elect politicians to political office, be the guests on political talk shows or even become the world's social service. We have been called to preach the gospel to every creature proclaiming Christ crucified and His soon return to earth.

        Philadelphia had "little strength," according to the Lord. That did not mean Philadelphia was weak in spiritual things. On the contrary. It meant that even though her physical numbers were few, her zeal and vision for Christ was the greatest of all the churches He addressed at the end. He had NOTHING negative to say about Philadelphia, while He had nothing POSITIVE to say about Laodicea.  Today the Laodicean church of this century stands in sharp contrast to Philadelphia. Even though the Lord Himself has opened this door, which is in effect the greatest door in history; still, despite that fact that the Church today is numerically larger than ever before, we are the sickest spiritually than we have ever been. There are precious few in comparison to the overall number of churches in the world today seeking to take the gospel of Christ to Adam's hurting race.

        Whenever the church leaves the true Gospel message of Christ and Him Crucified and opts for humanistic psychology, or the prosperity message as many in the word of faith movement love to trump, everything then becomes INWARD and not OUTWARD. It is no longer "others," but "I" and that friend is where we find ourselves today. That is what happens when man takes the open door of evangelism and shuts the door in the face of Christ refusing to admit its need for the one who walks among the candlesticks.

        Philadelphia kept the Lord's word as well. To fully keep the Word of God, one must know and understand the Message of the Cross! The CROSS IS NOT A DOCTRINE! It is however, the FOUNDATION upon which ALL DOCTRINE is built! It is the story of the Word of God, as the Word of God is the story of the cross. Man is a sinner. Man was created perfect then fell through sin. The entirety of the Bible story is the story of God's efforts to redeem man back to Himself from the time Adam fell in the garden of Eden till the day all sin and rebellion are removed from Planet Earth under the Kingship of Messiah Jesus - the redeemer of all mankind!

        It was to Paul that the Lord gave the meaning of the New Covenant, which in effect is the meaning of the Cross. Paul gave this to us in 14 different Epistles that bear his authorship. Everything that Christ did at the cross fulfilled every Old Covenant prophecy and verse as Paul so beautifully tells us in Hebrews.

        To put it another way - if one does not understand the Cross, one cannot understand the Old Covenant. Secondly, if one does not understand the cross, one cannot understand the New Covenant either. The two go hand in hand. If we are to understand the plan of God and written word of God, we must understand and begin with the Cross of Christ.

The Hour Of Temptation And The Third Door Of Revelation

Rev. 3:10  - 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.

Rev. 4:1
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.

 

        The phrase "hour of temptation," refers to the Great Tribulation period. It is called, among other names, "Daniel's Seventieth Week," which refers to a week of years, therefore "seven." Jesus spoke of this time in graphic terms:

Matthew 24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

1 Thes. 5:9
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

        The Great Tribulation follows the rapture of the church which Paul states in Thessalonians is designed to keep us from wrath and completing the great salvation process given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ. While the sainted dead of all time shall be included in the Rapture, the Philadelphia Church, which is the Missionary Church, continues unto this hour, and will, therefore, include everyone who is alive and truly knows Christ. This lends credence to the idea that the Rapture of the Church will take place BEFORE the Great Tribulation begins. In fact, there is no place for the Rapture in the Great Tribulation. As we will see after this third door is opened in Revelation 4 that the church is not mentioned anymore as being on Earth. In fact, chapters 6-19 portray the entirety of the Great Tribulation and nothing is mentioned whatsoever as it pertains to the Church.

        Common sense would tell us that if the Church was destined to be on Earth for this time then it would have been mentioned. It wasn't mentioned, because it's not on Earth, but rather in Heaven. This means that the rapture could take place at ANY MOMENT! The statement is made in the 11th verse of Revelation 3 that "Behold I come quickly!" referring to the rapture of the church. Christ is alerting Philadelphia that His coming is soon.

        The Laodicean Church on the other hand is oblivious to the soon return of Christ as we have discussed in great detail in the first three parts of this journal series. Looking at the modern church world today it is not hard to draw a conclusion that the Church as a whole knows as little about the Rapture as it does the Cross. We seem to be more interested in the "here and now," than in the "there and then." The church world today has tons of concern for temporal things, not heavenly things. The money gospel preached by many today repudiates the Cross of Christ and has its interest soley in this present world system.

        Hear me closely what I am about to state next. As the Second Coming will save the world from destruction, the Rapture will also save the church from destruction. What do I mean by that? Let me say it this way. We can draw a conclusion from reading Revelation 6-19 that if the Lord doesn't return to earth civilization as we know it would destroy itself. Jesus alluded to this when He said the following:

Matthew 24:22
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

        Concerning the church, it is apostatizing presently at such a rapid rate that if the Rapture don't take place soon, there will almost be no church to rapture! I know that is hard for some to swallow but if you read the account of the rapture in 1 Thessalonians you will see Paul puts a great deal of emphasis on the "sainted dead." He tends to indicate that after the sainted dead rise there won't be many left alive to go up and meet Christ in the air.

1 Thes. 4:13-18
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. [14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. [15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. [16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: [17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [18] Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

        In this last hour before Christ returns for the church the dividing line between the apostate Church and the True Church of Jesus Christ is simple - it's the CROSS OF CHRIST! This message is going to become more and more prominent that believers will not be able to remain neutral in their faith on this issue. In other words, one will have to dome down on one side or the other. To abandon the Cross, is to go into apostasy, which means the loss of one's soul! The Cross has ALWAYS been the dividing line going back to the pages of Genesis chapter 4 when Cain slew Abel over their respective sacrifices. Faith in the blood of a lamb or faith in man's works has always brought on religious rage and caused great bloodshed through the centuries.  This truth cannot be ignored.

        One commentator stated recently that the modern church world today is in worse shape spiritually that at any time since the Reformation of Martin Luther. That is a strong statement. The church at Sardis, many commentators believe, is a microcosm of the church that existed in Luther's day. It had a name that it lived but was dead. Not a good picture of a church in ANY AGE! The startling thing about today's church though is that financially and numerically we have never been better off. As a whole the Church has abandoned the Holy Spirit, even the segment that calls itself "Pentecostal."

        Humanism and Psychology has cut a large swath  through the Church, thereby taking its deadly tool, until the emphasis has been shifted almost completely to that philosophy, which means it's been taken from Christ and the Holy Spirit. When we add the word of faith doctrinal movement that teaches a gospel without a call for true repentance but calls its hearers to confess their way to financial success - we have the makings of one of the most horrible times in the church's history that we are witnessing today.

        Paul saw this day coming when he wrote to young Timothy nearly 2,000 years ago:

1 Tim. 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
 

        While most of the church world denies the Holy Spirit, the Charismatic and Pentecostal segments chase after fads and happenings while labeling everything that happens as "the Holy Spirit." It is not in most cases but "another spirit," which is controlling the situation. I don't want to get into a dissertation of specifics here but I will say this on a personal note.

        In 1987 I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit of God gave the utterance. It was the most glorious experience I have ever received other than salvation from God. After I received the Holy Spirit I entered into the Pentecostal denomination after basically being raised Southern Baptist all my life as child and young adult. I had some dealings with the Holy Spirit through my mom's sisters but that was about it. My knowledge and my attitude about such things were skewed at best. I didn't understand anything about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and to be quite frank with you I didn't want to know!

        But as I saw more and more of the Pentecostal world I did realize in great detail how many outside the Pentecostal world looked at Pentecostal as nut cases and just plain out air heads. Some of the most craziest, fleshly, carnal things you'd ever want to see or embrace took place within the denomination I was apart of. And there were several other Pentecostal denominations to draw from if you ran out of nuts in ours! To make it short - I got an education my first year - that even though the Baptist may not agree with the Holy Spirit, the Baptist DID understand the cross of Christ and saw a need to evangelize. Granted their understanding was shallow and without the Holy Spirit they too were cutting off the flow of God. But the craziness of the Pentecostal world did not exist.

        Whenever the church stops preaching sound doctrine, error always follow, then fanaticism, then delusion. That is why Philadelphia was so blessed. It was a church that spread the true gospel of Christ to the four corners of the globe without fear or favor.  It was a church more concerned about preaching the TRUTH than it was about seeking a TOUCH. A touch from God is great but the touch of God is designed to condition our hearts to receive His truth. The TRUTH will set us free once we know HIM. The truth is not an abstract doctrine, it's the foundation of what we believe.

        The True Message as proclaimed by the Word of God, and from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21, is "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified." It's our Faith in that, which gives us everything we need. This means that the Believer's reality of Christ is based on that Finished Work, rather than phenomenon and manifestations.

        Let's be frank. The Cross and its message has never been attractive. It wasn't attractive to Cain, and it has not gained popularity since. And even though what Jesus did there holds the key to eternal life for the sinner and victory for the Christian, few seek after it. That is why Jesus said "few thereby that find it." The "it" He is referring to "life everlasting." But as many as who do come the way of the Cross, they find that eternal life and joy unspeakable and full of glory. When we take up His cross daily, we deny ourselves and our strengths and abilities to garner victory. We then apply those benefits on a daily basis.

Luke 9:23-24
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. [24] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

        Philadelphia was told to "hold fast," and not let go of this jewel of truth. They never did and the door always remained open for them to spread the gospel to the world. Laodicea closed the door as we have today in the modern church world.


The Second Door - The Closed Door At Laodicea


Rev. 3:19-20
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. [20] 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.
 

        The composite in our text for this journal is this:

1.      Every true Believer experiences rebuke and chastisement.

2.      We are to be as zealous for the Lord, as we are regarding other things.

3.      Repentance is demanded.

As Many As I Love.....I Rebuke And Chasten

        The phrase, “As many as I love,” implies that despite the majority of the church at Laodicea apostatizing, there would be a remnant who would not. Commentators as a rule agree in declaring that nothing good is mentioned concerning Laodicea. It is noteworthy that the word foot “love” here is “phileo,” which denotes the love of friendship, and not “agapao,” the higher type of love, as in Revelation 3:9 with reference to Philadelphia. “Phileo” is a universal term of affection of God toward man, of man toward man, which quality brute beasts have, we are told.

        “Agape” even though a Greek word, has its origin in Divine Revelation, and is seldom found among the heathen writers. Consequently, the Holy Spirit took the word and made it apply to God, which refers to the “God kind of love.” As stated, it is the highest form of love, originating with God, and which no human being can have, unless he or she is Born-Again.

        So, about all that can be said about the Laodicean Church that would be on the favorable side, would be that the Lord was “fond of” a small remnant. That is hard to swallow for most because the feeling of most is that God loves everybody. He does! But His righteousness does not waver in the face of that love. What He saw in Laodicea made Him so angry He wanted to vomit. This is why He didn't use the word "agape" here, but "phileo." The remnant in Sardis had not defiled their garments. The "remnant" in Laodicea was on the brink of losing their eternal souls thus the warning from Christ to them. The scary thought is that it seems from the Lord's statements, that the majority in Laodicea had already apostatized to the point of no return.

        Jesus then adds to this statement that those He does love, '(he) rebukes and chastens.' The word "chasten" represents such being done “for our profit, that we might be partakers of His Holiness” (Heb. 12:10).

Hebrews 12:10
For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

        Chastisement is something that every true Christian experiences, and if such is not experienced, that is a sign that the professing Christian is actually a “bastard” (Heb. 12:8), which means they aren’t saved.

Hebrews 12:8
But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.



        Now let it be understood, the Scripture is emphatic on this: If the person is a true Christian, in one way or the other, that person is going to experience chastisement. The Scripture plainly says: “For whom the Lord loves He chastises, and scourges every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6). So there are no exceptions!

Hebrews 12:6
For whom the Lord loves he chasteneth, and scourges every son whom he receives.
 

        Some local Churches rejoice in the idea that they have no opposition. Everything seems to go well, with no problems. Scripturally, the reason is obvious. The Church is not recognized as such by the Lord, which means there are precious few, if any, associated with it, who are actually saved. And the few who truly are, that is if any would fall into that category, He will definitely submit to chastisement, and in that process, will no doubt tell them to go elsewhere to Church. You can’t put a live chicken under a dead hen. If you do, you’re going to have two dead chickens.

        Some Christians do not think of chastening any other way except by sickness and disease. They believe they are being chastened when sick and yet they know nothing in particular that they have done. The facts below prove that when God actually allows plagues there is a reason which will be known to the individual or nation. God never uses drastic means except as a last resort, when all other methods of getting men to obey have been exhausted. Leviticus 26 and Deut. 28 are clear chapters on this point. In Job 33:14-29 we have the cause of sickness in many cases.

Job 33:14-29
For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. [15] In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; [16] Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, [17] That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. [18] He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. [19] He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain: [20] So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat. [21] His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out. [22] Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers. [23] If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: [24] Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. [25] His flesh shall be fresher than a child's: he shall return to the days of his youth: [26] He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness. [27] He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; [28] He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. [29] Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,

        If a child of God wants to claim he is being chastened by God, then let him acknowledge also that he has repeatedly refused to listen to God or obey Him (Job 33). Let him acknowledge his sins, for God does not send plagues upon obedient children. But let us not be arrogant to think that even those who are obedient are above being tempted. All Christians are subject to attack. The bottom line in chastisement from God though is simple. It's the Lord's LOVE that drives His chastisement, not His anger. If He ever chastised us in anger we'd be toast - literally. God doesn't operate in that manner. He is a JUST God and EVERYTHING He does is fair and just. Job said "Lord you are justified in doing what you do to me - I abhor myself and REPENT." That is where God wants to get us. That is what Jesus was trying to do to the church at Laodicea. He wanted them to see how wretched they were and how spiritually lost they had become - not to punish them - but to redeem them. Those who sow rebellion will reap rebellion and those who rebel will be cursed.

Galatians 6:7-8
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. [8] For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
 

        But let there be no mistake as we state it again. Christians are subject as much as sinners to contagious diseases or certain physical maladies, through improper nutrition, exercise, and improper care of the body. We all are also subject to satanic attacks, and if we do not learn to claim the promises of God, rest and anchor our faith in the Cross, then we will not be able to resist Satan who will afflict us as the tormentor he is. That is the thief's job, to "steal, to kill and to destroy." (John 10:10; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:7-9; Ephes. 4:27; Ephes. 6:10-18). When we see a brother in sickness, the initial reaction by most is that the brother is "in sin." That may be true but in most cases it is not. We need to pray the prayer of faith over that brother as James commands us. The scripture is clear that when we pray the prayer of faith that if the brother HAS committed sins, they will be forgiven!


James 5:13-16
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. [14] Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: [15] And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. [16] Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

        One thing is certain, God is not to blame for sicknesses upon His obedient children and to claim such is to cooperate with Satan and not God (John 10:10; Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38). If people use Job as an excuse for unbelief, let them realize that Job did not know the gospel. He had no written revelation, covenant, or promise, and yet he was healed by God. Let people likewise fight as Job did until they get an answer and healing (Job 42:10; James 5:10-11).

Job 42:10
And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

        The situation in Laodicea was one that required chastisement. The body had apostatized and strayed from the truth of Christ into gross error. The only remedy for apostasy is judgment friend. When one apostatizes, repentance is required immediately, but if repentance does not come - then judgment always follows which we will deal with more later in this journal.

        How does this affect us today? Well, as would obvious, it’s very, very important as to where one attends Church. If the wrong thing is taught from behind the pulpit, it will bear its fruit in the hearts and lives of those who hear such teaching. Considering that this is the Laodicean period, which means that this Church is labeled by Christ as the apostate Church, where we attend Church becomes more critical then ever. The idea is, there aren’t many Churches where the Gospel is truly preached and lived. So the Believer, that is if it’s at all possible, had better find that True Church. And without exception, such a Church will preach the Cross (I Cor. I:17-18,23). If it’s not a Church that holds up the Cross as the answer to hurting mankind, than it’s not a Church that’s preaching the True Gospel (Gal. 1:6).

1 Cor. 1:17-18
For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
[18] For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

1 Cor. 1:23
But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;

Galatians 1:6
I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

Be Zealous Therefore And Repent.......

        The phrase, “Be zealous therefore, and repent,” concerns itself more with repenting over the wrong direction, than anything else. While in such a climate there are always many sins or sinful acts for which we must repent, above all we must repent of what led us to do these things to begin with. Christ was telling Laodicea that her response to His call would determine whether she was saved or judged. The same is true for us today.

        How do we respond to the Spirit's call to bring us back to the message of the Cross? The Cross is the criteria for ALL sound doctrine. It sounds narrow, it sounds simple, and yes we repeat it a million times but neighbor the CROSS is the source of mankind's victory over sin, sickness and disease. And Christian, the CROSS is the source of YOUR victory as well!

        If we miss it here, we miss it all together! The Bible commentator, Minear said this:

“The only cure for poverty-stricken disciples was to purchase Christ gold which is refined in the agonies of the shared passion. For their nakedness, the only recourse was to buy such clothes as the naked Christ had worn on the Cross. The blindness of self-deception could be cured only by understanding the correlation between Christ’s love and His discipline. These three purchases constitute a substantial definition of the kind of zeal and repentance which was the burden of all John’s prophecies The thrust of these commands moves in the direction of rigorous warning. They are the tantamount to saying, ‘Open your eyes’ and ‘Carry your Cross.’ This Letter argues against the widespread assertion of many interpreters to the affect that John’s chief concern was to provide consolation to a persecuted Church. Nearer the mark would be the opposite assertion; that John, like Jesus, was concerned to bring not peace but a sword.”

        Some of you reading this journal are dealing with sin in your life right now. Things are slipping on you. Each day it feels like your life is on a slippery slope and you can't stop the downward spiral. I can assure you that the Lord loves you still and it's His love that is drawing you to repentance today. These things will not just "work themselves out." Deliverance starts with repentance. You can go have hands laid on you all you want but if you refuse to admit the sin that is the source of the bondage and repent of that sin - deliverance will be superficial at best, if at all. Freedom will never come!

        The message of the New Covenant is "repent." When John the Baptist came preaching the gospel preparing the way for Messiah's FIRST return, the bedrock of his words rang out like a trumpet  -  "'REPENT,' for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus' first message to Israel was to "repent." He told them on one occasion that unless they repent, they would perish. (Luke 13:3). The day the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost Peter stood up and preached his most powerful sermon. The first word out of his mouth was "REPENT!"

        And here we have the last message of Jesus Christ to the church as He stands with arms open wide. His heart is heavy seeing the fallen, sinful condition of His people. He looks into their hearts and sees their need for Him. His admonition is not to build a new ministry building; not to buy a new house; not to purchase jewels and trinkets; not to entertain the masses; but to "BE ZEALOUS THEREFORE AND REPENT."

Repentance Is More Than Repenting Over An Act

        Repentance is more than repenting over acts of sin, even though that is important. The repentance Christ is talking about here is a repenting of who we ARE, not what we do. Laodicea's self-righteousness had so blinded her to her need for Jesus that the only remedy for that blindness was for her to repent of who she was and declare herself "NAKED, BLIND and DESTITUTE." Unfortunately, the call for repentance was met with a closed, slammed door in the face of Christ.

        As I look around the body today, it has come down to the same issue. Repentance is needed instead of counseling. Repentance is needed instead of entertainment. Repentance is needed instead of seminars and prophetic conferences. Repentance is needed instead of crusades and huge meetings. Repentance is needed instead of television specials and Hollywood-type movies. All the gadgets, trinkets, programs and the like we have shoveled to the world has not changed the world. Why? Because the world's problem, as is OUR PROBLEM is SIN! And the only cure for sin is cleansing through the blood of the Redeemer upon OUR REPENTANCE and admitting we are sinful and wicked. And that is hard for religious man to do. Ask Cain! He could not bring himself to offer a lamb up to God because in his wicked heart he felt like the fruit of his own hands would suffice. He found out then that it would not, and we had better find out now that it is not before the closed door at Laodicea becomes the open door of the Rapture which will usher in great judgment upon Planet Earth.

        On a related note, let me say this before we go on here. The prophetic message, let me change that, the TRUE prophetic message, of this hour is repentance! Within our present worldly society, it is perilous practice indeed to align oneself with a true prophet. Most people rebel at the cold hard facts of any situatoin and God has never been given over to half-truths and sugar coatings. In His love He always calls us to "reason" together as He did Israel so long ago:

Isaiah 1:17-18
Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. [18] Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

        His reasoning together with Israel was along one simple theme - REPENTANCE. If Israel would repent, her sins would be white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they would be as wool. Oh Praise God forever. That call is still relevant for today. He is calling the CHURCH world today to the table to "reason" with us in our insanity. He is seeking to "reason" with us in our madness and delusion and declension. But sadly, the church world corporately, has shut the door to Christ and He is no longer welcomed in our midst. Thus the final call to the body comes in the form of a knock at a closed door.

Jesus At The Door

Rev. 3:20
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.

 

                The structure of this passage is this:

1. This the seventh and last occurrence of the call to “Behold” in the Church section. It is one of the most impressive and significant (Smith).

2. Christ standing at the door and knocking implies that He is outside.

3. The Church as a whole having rejected Him, He makes His appeal to the individual.

4. Next to Calvary this is one of the most pathetic and heartrending scenes in the entire Bible.

5. He will fellowship with those who will fellowship with Him.

        The phrase, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” presents Christ outside of this Church. The REAL horror though is evidently Laodicea did not even know He was no longer present.  Hear me friend. The worst thing can happen to any church, and the body of Christ in general, is that we become able to function without the Moving and Operation of the Holy Spirit.

        In the last two decades we have seen an unprecedented outpouring of the Holy Spirit that has touched almost every denomination within Christendom. It is very difficult today to find any church, irrespective of denomination, that doesn't include at least some individuals who been baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues. To be frank with you some of the largest growing churches in America today are non-Pentecostal churches by name, yet those who have allowed the total freedom of the Holy Ghost to flow in their services and through their people.

        The great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in America happened in the year 1906 in a little church on Azusa Street in Los Angeles, California. We are nearing the 100th year anniversary of that soon. Today, some 100 years later, the largest growing churches in the world are Pentecostal. The Pentecostal message (and I'm not referring to a denomination) is truly the message of the hour. It has been stated that over 51 million people have been filled with the Holy Spirit just in last few decades alone. When we say baptized in the Holy Spirit, please don't go postal on me Baptist. The term "baptized" is logistics, but it is a second work of grace where in the recipient of the infilling begins to speak with other tongues as the spirit of God gives the utterance.

        On Azusa Street, in the midst of this great outpouring of God, it must have seemed strange to hear a prophecy that would actually predict the coming apostasy at the end of the century we are seeing today. In essence it said three things would happen to the great Pentecostal movement before Christ returned:

        1. There will be an overemphasis on power, rather than on righteousness

        2. There will be an overemphasis on praise, to a God we no longer pray to.

        3. There will be an overemphasis on the gifts of the Spirit rather than on the Lordship of Christ

        All of this is happening today. The Bible gives us the roadmap as to how we are to use this power of the Holy Spirit.

• In Acts 1:8 we are told power would be given to the church to take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth.

• In Acts 2, the Holy Spirit was poured out, and a great message was preached by Peter, resulting in the conversion of thousands.

• In Acts 3:25 Peter predicted that "all the kindreds of the earth shall be blessed."

• In Acts 4 thousands more were saved.

• In Acts 5 they were preaching and teaching in every house

• In Acts 6 they gave themselves continually to the word and to prayer

• In Acts 7 the first martyr Stephen gave his life for the cause of Christ

• In Acts 8 the work was taken to Samaria resulting in a great revival there

• In Acts 9 the great Apostle Paul was saved, who in turn was given the message of the New Covenant

• In Acts 10, the Holy Spirit fell on Cornelius and his household.

        By the end of the first 100 years of the early church, much of the known world of that day was touched by the gospel of Jesus Christ. ALL of this was done without the assistance of computers, the internet, radios, televisions, printing presses, satellites or any of the other modern tools we have at our disposal today.

        The first church was an evangelistic church! It was a Pentecostal church. It functioned in a Pentecostal way. And when I say that I'm not referring to a particular denomination friend. Pentecost is not about being Assemblies of God or Church of God. It's about being FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

       The first church allowed the Holy Spirit to be its guide as the Holy Spirit produced CHRIST in its midst. The way of the Spirit has always been SOULS, SOULS, SOULS!!!! It is the altar call, it is the harvest. It is the flow and moving of the Holy Spirit touching lives and hearts. It is the convicting power of the Holy Spirit reaching out and touching men and bringing them to Jesus Christ.

        Seminaries cannot train people to do this. Church seminars on witnessing can't train people to do this. Education may aid a little, but not much. Actually our education tends to hinder more than help because we become puffed up with "knowledge," instead of operating in love. Missionaries are not born in beautiful cathedrals or costly structures. Missionaries are born in the heat of Holy Ghost revival in a church or a nation. It is a sovereign move from heaven when God touches hearts and calls men and women into service. Neighbor, we need that again in our churches in America today.

        I'm not going to spend a great deal of time talking about those churches out there who basically operate each Sunday as a funeral home. I hate funeral homes. I hate morgues. But most American churches are deader than the downtown morgue. It's sad and it may sound mean but let's face facts friend. You could put a funeral home sign out in front of most churches in America today and it'd be about the same. It's sad and awful to say that - but it is the truth. The reason these churches are dead is simple. We don't have to be dead! We can have as much of the Holy Spirit in our church as we want to!! He don't want us to be dead!

       Christ  stands at the door of Laodicea as the Judge, and His portrait is that of Revelation 1:13-16 – a portrait so terrible that John fell at His feet as dead. He is the Judge; He is also the Saviour. Whoever answers His call as Judge will sup with Him as Saviour – will at once enjoy a feast of love and peace and conscious Salvation in this life, and a position with Him in His Throne in the coming Kingdom (Williams). It is the same way He stands at our hearts door today as well.

If Any Man.......Hear My Voice And Open The Door.....

Rev. 3:20
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.
 

        The phrase, “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,” tells us several things:

1.    The Church having rejected Christ, our Lord now appeals to individuals.

2.    There is so much religious racket going on, that He implies that it’s difficult to “hear His voice.”

3.     If His Voice is actually heard, then the Believer must open the door. The idea is that He be welcomed in. The idea is also that He has not been previously welcomed.

4.      If the door is opened, He will come in. It is a promise!

5.      He will restore the person to fellowship, illustrated by the phrase “will eat with him, and he with Me.” In fact, this is the highest form of fellowship.

        Before we add our closing thoughts on this journal, I want to share the comments of the words of J.D. Smith on this passage when he says:

“One must wonder what kind of table the individual Believer has to set for such a distinguished guest, unless it be his sins, his sorrows, his burdens, and his cares. This menu Christ tasted at the Cross. However, what He shares with the Believer as He enters the heart, is rather the joy of Salvation that has come through His atoning work. The Believer will sup with Him to share His joys. For the Father has anointed Him with the oil of gladness above His fellows, which means that He is the most joyful and the happiest ‘fellow’ who has ever lived.”

        And I might quickly add, He wants to share this joy with those who follow Him. We are to understand by the position of Christ standing outside the door of the Church universal in this last epoch of Church history that this shows He has rejected by Christendom as a whole and the last apostasy has set in. The only remedy for apostasy is judgment which takes place after the door of Revelation 4 is opened.

        The last day's church is not totally repudiating Christ, but rather changing Him to “another Christ,” or as Paul put it, “another Jesus” (II Cor. 11:4). However, this new Jesus being proposed and proclaimed by the modern Church, although carrying some of the earmarks of the True Jesus, becomes obvious by the omission of the Cross. This new Jesus is a miracle worker, a healer, but above all, at least in this particular doctrine, He is the giver of money, and lots of it! The Cross is not a part at all of this new Jesus, it is totally eliminated as being the “worst defeat in human history,” they say! That is the Word of Faith doctrine. In fact, one of its brightest lights, Ken Copeland, preaches that the Blood of Jesus Christ did not atone for anything.

        Many teach some type of weird scenario where that Jesus went to Hell when He died, and incidentally, went to Hell as a sinner, and after three days and nights of torture, was then “born again,” and then raised from the dead. Of course, none of that is in the Bible, with in fact, the Bible proclaiming the shed Blood of Jesus Christ as the anchor of Redemption (Rom. 3:25; 5:9; I Cor. 10:16; 11:25, 27; Eph. 1:7; 2:13; Col. 1:14, 20; Heb. 9:14, 22; 10:29; 13:12, 20; I Pet. 1:2, 19; I Jn. 1:7; 5:6; Rev. 1:5; 5:9; 12:11).

The new Jesus satisfies a lot of people, and is extremely attractive, and because of the Midas touch. The promise of money keeps the crowd large, but the truth is, the only ones getting any money are the Preachers who espouse this doctrine.

        And the extended truth is, no one is saved under this doctrine, or Baptized with the Holy Spirit, or healed by the Power of God, despite the wild claims, and no one is delivered from the bondages of darkness, for the simple reason that it is only the preaching of the Cross, which brings Redemption. Any other type of message, and irrespective as to how popular it might be, cannot set one captive free. It is only the Message of “Jesus Christ and Him Crucified” (I Cor. 1:17-18, 21, 23; 2:2, 5).

        As I close I want to make a few statements of warning to us in America. This picture of Christ calling to individuals shows us that the call of heaven has ceased corporately because the corporate church has stopped listening. I don' t know whether America will experience revival or not. We need it. It will save us from judgment. It will increase the chances of the harvest a hundredfold because when people come back to God we will stop putting our money into buildings and start spreading the gospel of Christ once again.

        The call of the Saviour is to YOU today and it is to ME. Judgment is coming friend. All will be there. The thunders of the Great Tribulation period are being heard over the bow of the horizon as we speak. Along with judgment on Planet Earth is coming great persecution of the remnant by the Great Whore of religion as well. Christians will die for their faith in these last days just as they did in the early church. They are already dying for their faith in other parts of the world but we here in America are soon to face that reality soon. How soon is God's knowledge and no one else's. But I will say this. The temperature and hostilities toward believing Christians is rising in this nation at an alarming rate. Slander the name of Christ and people make fun of it like it is a joke or a one-liner in a monologue. Slander the name of Allah or Islam and they're ready to haul you into court and sue you for violating their Constitutional rights. Things are going to get dicey and dicey soon.

        The one thing that you and I have to hold on to is the anchor of our souls- the CROSS OF CHRIST. That is the dividing line in the sands of time between what is true and what is false. It was the last message of Jesus Christ to the church and yet He had to deliver it outside knocking, wanting to get back in the midst of the Laodicean church. We are in such as time as that right now.

        They did a recent survey of professing Christians and found that an alarming rate of Christians today are not attending church anywhere. You can read into that what you want and most look at it as a negative. I'm not saying that Christians need to stay home and not attend church. But I will say this. When you look at that survey on the surface one would conclude that these believers are people who are lazy, backslidden perhaps, lethargic, etc. But when you start reading the reasons why Christians are not attending church you realize that the problem lies in the fact that most who don't attend church are not attending church because of spiritual reasons but because there is not many churches left where the presence of GOD can be found in a true way.

        As we draw closer to the rapture of the church, the third door of Revelation which opened in heaven, we will see that get more pronounced as well. The apostasy has set in and get worse. The truth of the word of God is the only hope you and I have to keep us on the path of life. Be careful who and what you listen to. Be careful where you attend church. If you can't find a good church my advice is have church in your home. The Bible says not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together and we have made that into a mandate for people to attend local churches. That is not so. To be frank with you  a majority of the Lord's ministry was done OUTSIDE THE SYNAGOGUE in Jerusalem because He was no longer welcomed there. The first church didn't meet once a week in a building - they met daily in homes. Let that sink in. Our tradition has taught us to worship in a building, not God. Don't misunderstand me. The local church is important, but when God sees the "church" in a city, He doesn't see YOUR church or MY church. He sees the body of believers IN THE CITY! That is the true church of Jesus Christ.

        In this journal, we have seen that at Laodicea, He was no longer welcomed there. Friend, I don't want to be anywhere where the Lord and the Holy Spirit are not welcomed! I'd rather have church under my oak tree at home and have the presence of God there than to be in a 10,000 people cathedral that is dead and demonic as hell itself. And that's the facts neighbor. You can disagree with that but in this last hour it DOES matter where you worship more than ever before.

        He is standing at our hearts door knocking. Will we be part of the remnant that lets Him in or the majority at Laodicea who shut Him out? That is the question we must all answer in these last days. It's getting late neighbor, it's getting late. Blessings.