20aysihc

Are You Standing In Hot Coals?

Lesson Twenty: by turtle

I think the question that seems to be on a lot of people’s mind who is the anti Christ, the seven year ruler. I will tell you this, I
will never answer that question on this site. What I will address is those things we are looking at concerning the anti Christ.
What traits does the anti Christ have and does the anti Christ in the since of many still a problem in today’s world. How each of
us deal with a problem may not be the same way. However the best tool in deal with deception and trickery is look at your
Bible. What does the Bible say on these subjects. What does the Bible say concerning false doctrines. There are many false
doctrines that keep the church world from expanding and unifying together in one accord. The truth is that until we reach a
point of saying yeah my brother is growing in Christ and just does not know yet, we will still be divided. Another division is not
be able to admit we do not know everything. I for one sometimes wonder if I know anything.

Today church has as many problems has they did thousand of years ago during the apostles day. I want to talk about all seven
churches in Revelations. There is a lot I do not understand about Revelations but I find the letters to the churches interesting.
John writes what the Spirit says to the seven churches. Only seven can you imagine. I think this is really about the seven types
of churches we see in today’s world. These were churches that were having spiritual battles to over come. My question is what
church are you spiritually? Let us first look at the first church in Revelations 2.

Revelation 2:1-7 KJV
(1) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who
walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
(2) I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried
them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
(3) And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
(4) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
(5) Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
(6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
(7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree
of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

The word angel here is a reference not to a spiritual being but a pastor. In the first verse the word he is a reference to Christ.
Christ is holding the seven candlesticks which are seven churches. And the seven stars are the pastors. This is simple enough to
understand. The last verse in first chapter of Revelations says this plainly. Some question what symbols in Revelations mean
and some are spelled out within the book.

Revelation 1:20 KJV
(20) The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars
are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

Let’s look at the next few verse in chapter 2.

Revelation 2:2-3 KJV
(2) I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried
them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
(3) And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

Christ is pleased that this church is aware of false apostles and that they have tried them. What was going on in the church of
Ephesus one might wonder. Was John in Ephesus, no, not on record from what I can tell, but it appears that Paul was. Let us
look at what was going on there. Paul no doubt was agent sent to the Jews and Gentiles and was one of the apostles that helped
in establishing the church there.

Acts 18:18-28 KJV
(18) And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and
with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.
(19) And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
(20) When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;
(21) But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto
you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.
(22) And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch.
(23) And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order,
strengthening all the disciples.
(24) And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.
(25) This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of
the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
(26) And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and
expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
(27) And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he
was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:
(28) For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Paul goes to Ephesus but has a feast to attend to. God is determined that if Paul does not have the time he is sending someone.
This someone was Apollos, who only knew the Baptist of John, which was a baptism of repentance. This was laying the ground
work in Ephesus with the Jews. It started with the knowledge of repentance. Paul had a lot of knowledge, but really what
Ephesus needed was someone to lay a foundation. A foundation that started with repentance. What then happened to the
church. Will Paul goes back and finds that those that believe in God had repented, but they knew nothing of Jesus or the need
of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:1-7 KJV
(1) And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and
finding certain disciples,
(2) He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as
heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
(3) And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
(4) Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on
him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
(5) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
(6) And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
(7) And all the men were about twelve.

Basically Paul takes care of that problem by baptizing them in the name of the Lord Jesus and then laying hands on them to
receive the Holy Spirit. Traditionally we are taught to baptize in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost according
to Matthew 28. This is actually standard in all churches I have been in. Now here is thing, the church in Ephesus was new, it
was growing in the knowledge of God. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Generally when churches teach they teach about all
three, it hard not to, but someone never knowing God has to learn first about who He is, then about the Son and then about the
Holy Spirit. Sometimes you can teach about the Son and Holy Spirit first but you need to back up and teach about the Father.
That God the created all things. About the roots of Christian faith. One can do it with a standard Bible by teaching the old
testament. Not hard to do. What else was going on in this church. Let us not stop here at discussing Ephesus.

Acts 19:8-21 KJV
(8) And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things
concerning the kingdom of God.
(9) But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them,
and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.
(10) And this continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both
Jews and Greeks.
(11) And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
(12) So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the
evil spirits went out of them.
(13) Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the
Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.
(14) And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
(15) And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
(16) And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled
out of that house naked and wounded.
(17) And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the
Lord Jesus was magnified.
(18) And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.
(19) Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they
counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
(20) So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
(21) After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to
Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome.

In Ephesus they had to get rid of the devil and the demons. No one liked that they were arguing and persuading men of old
about Jesus. Some grew harden to the truth and literally attacked Paul. Some used witchcraft to do so. Witchcraft a form of
trickery and deceit. People lied to deceive the church and cause confusion. Only to find that God was on Paul’s side. Ephesus
would struggle with dealing with these stunts for years to come. Read the book of Ephesians and study how God was doing a
work in Ephesus.

Who were the Nicolitans in Revelations.

Revelation 2:6 KJV
(6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Help of the Thayer’s Greek Dictionary.

G3531
Νικολαΐ́της
Nikolaitēs
Thayer Definition:
Nicolaitans = “destruction of people”
1) a sect mentioned in Rev_2:6,Rev_2:15, who were charged with holding the error of Balaam, casting a stumbling block before
the church of God by upholding the liberty of eating things sacrificed to idols as well as committing fornication
Part of Speech: noun proper masculine

We have to look a little further and look at what was stated above this verse six in Revelation 2:6 to get the meaning of this fully.

Revelation 2:4-5 KJV
(4) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
(5) Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly,
and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

What first love did they forsake, they began after the battle to forsake God. However what they began to do is worship idols.
They forsake the love of God for statues. However God tells them if they will repent and do their first works over again then If
they do not, then God will remove there church. I do not blame God there. See God was not going to put up with Idolatry. God
had better plans for them. He gives them encouragement in the last verse we are going to discuss today.

Revelation 2:7 KJV
(7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the
tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

If they would listen and hearken to God’s Spirit then they overcome the enemy and they would inherit the tree of life, which is
in the midst of paradise, paradise meaning heaven. What a blessing. To be over comer is to have life eternal with Jesus. Works
never saved anyone, but faith saves a person in the since of our requirement. We must hold on. Turning away from truth and
living as the devil is not faith. Bewarned my friends live by faith in God alone. Know that Jesus is salvation and that the Holy
Spirit will protect and guide you if you will trust in Him.