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.