"John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace
be unto you and peace, from him which is, and which was, and
which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before
his throne; And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,
and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings
of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto
God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and
ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall
see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of
the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
[ NOTE THIS IS THE EVENT IN THE LATTER PART OF THE TRIBULATION,
THE CHURCH HAS BEEN RAPTURED PRIOR TO IT.]
"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith
the Lord, which is, and what was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
(Revelation 1:4-8)
"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day [NOTE: The "Day
of the Lord" is the tribulation and Millennium combined
through judgement day which means that the seven churches were
it from a physical point of view. The Scripture points out why:],
and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, "I am
Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest
write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are
in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and
unto Thyartira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto
Laodicea. [NOTE: Some preach that these churches compare to certain
periods between 33 A.D. and now. That is not what the Bible states.
I do believe that God uses these Scriptures to teach us why they
strayed and wants us to learn from them what is important to
God.]
"And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And
being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; And in the midst
of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed
with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with
a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like wool,
as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his
feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and
his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right
hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged
sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his
right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first
and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold,
I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of
death. Write the things which thou hast seen, and things which
are, and the things which shall be hereafter: 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." (Revelation 1:10-20)
The last church mentioned was the Church of Laodicea: "And
unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things
saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning
of the creation of God; 'I know thy works, and thou art neither
cold nor hot: I would thou wast cold or hot. So then because
thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee
out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased
with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou
art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked;
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou
mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed,
and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint
thine eyes with eye salve, and thou mayest see. As many as I
love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come to him, and will sup with
him, and he with me. 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. He that hath an ear, let him hear
what the Spirit saith unto the churches."
After that John is given a preview of Jesus' opening the seven
seals which bring in the tribulation.
What does that tell us about the church that we are experiencing
today. Is it any wonder we are where we are. Jesus obviously
wants a personal relationship with us because that is the only
way we can overcome the world. He did it for us and without that
relationship we can't get there. That is why he showed us what
happened to the seven churches.
The # used to describe what the word "church" means
in the Greek Lexical Aids. #1577: Ekklesia; originally seems
to have been derived from ekkaleo, to call out. It was a common
term for a congregation of the ekkletoi, those called out or
assembled in the public affairs of a free state, a body of free
citizens, called together by a herald. The ekkletoi, the called
people, constituted the ekklesia.
In the NT the word is applied to the congregation of the people
of Israel (Acts 7:38). On the other hand,
sunagoge (4864) seems to have been used
to designate the people from Israel in distinction from all other
nations (Acts 13:43, cf. Matt. 4:23; 6:2; James
2:2; Rev. 2:9, 3:9). But when in Hebrews 10:25 the gathering
of the Christians is referred to, it is not called sunagoge but
episunagoge (1997), with the prep. epi
(1909), upon, translated the assembling
together.
The Christian community was designated for the first time
as ekklesia to differentiate it from the Jewish community, sunagoge
(Acts 2:47 TR). The term ekklesia denotes
the NT community of the redeemed in its twofold aspect, all who
were called by and who were called by and to Christ in the fellowship
of His salvation, the Church worldwide of all times, and only
secondary to an individual church (Matt. 16:18;
Acts 2:47; 9:31; 1 Cor. 6:4; 10:32; 11:22; 12:28; 14:4; 5:12;
15:9; Gal 1:13; Phil. 3:6; Col. 1:18; 24). Designated
Church of God (1 Cor. 10:32; 11:22; 15:9; Gal.
1:13; 1Tim. 3:5, 15). the body of Christ (Eph.
5:23, 24); the entire Church exclusively (Ephesians
1:22; 3:10, 21; 5:23-25, 27, 29, 32; Heb. 12:23).
The NT churches, however, are also confined to particular
places (Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 1:2; 16:19, 2 Cor.
1:1; Col. 4:15; 1 Thess. 2:14; Phile. 1:2), to single
local churches (Acts 8:1; 11:22, Rom. 16:1; 1
Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1) [source p.1712
Lexical Aids of the New Testament KJV Bible]
- BISHOP: 1 Timothy 3:1-7 Qualifications to be an overseer:
"This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a
bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless,
the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given
to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker,
not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;
one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection
with all gravity; (for a man know not how to rule his own house,
how shall he take care of the church of God? Not a novice, lest
being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the
devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are
without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil).
-
- DEACONS: 1 Timothy 3:8- 13 Qualifications for Servants: "Likewise
must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much
wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the
faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved;
then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful
in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling
their children and their own houses well. For they that have
used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good
degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus."
-
- The Apostle Paul wrote the letters to Timothy to teach him.
Here are more important points: 1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the
gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with
the laying on of the hands of the presbytery." [NOTE later
referred to as ordination to allow him to teach, and be an apostle]
"Wherefore I put thee in rememberance that thou stir up
the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
(2 Timothy 1:6) NOTE: Paul mentions a
"gift" which Timothy possessed as a result of the "putting
on" of his hands on him. It is identical to the word used
by Paul to describe the gifts (charismata [5486]) of the Spirit
(1 Cor. 12:1-11)... this particular gift
that came upon Timothy was the outcome of his ordination to the
ministry of the gospel in 1 Timothy 4:14. 2 Timothy 1:11 Whereunto
I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the
Gentiles."
-
- Timothy was to carry on Paul's ministry.
-
- In Titus we have the qualifications of an Elder. Paul wrote
the following to Titus:
- ELDERS: "For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou
shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain
elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.: If any be blameless,
the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused
of riot or unruly. (Titus 1:5,6)
-
- BISHOP: "For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward
of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no
striker, not given to filthy lucre;.. (Titus
1:7.. 14)
-
- This confirms that God meant there be a specific order to
His people and laid out what the qualifications for congregations
are. What is most important to God is obedience. That is why
we are here on earth. If we don't learn obedience through the
mechanisms that God has provided for us, we have little chance
of making it. That is what Jesus's life portrayed. In the Word
of God, OT and NT, it is always about obedience to the Word.
That is the hard part about the Gospel and that is why Lucifer
and his angels (a third of the angels) lost it.
-
- Some believe and teach that there has been an interruption
of receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit which are necessary
for ordination of office. The laying on of hands would have had
to have been practiced by original Apostles. Apostles named in
the Bible all had contact with Jesus Christ even Paul on the
road to Damascus. They were authentic Apostles and had the gift
to ordain others who were then enabled to lay hands on others.
-
- The Catholic Church, from which most denominations spring,
changed the rules which took its authenticity out. Their hierarchy
consists of many layers of authority and the priests are unmarried,
celibate men. How can they, being disobedient to the Word of
God, have the authority to lay hands on new candidates to teach
the Gospel.
- We believe that the gifts today, due to the interruption,
come from Jesus Christ Himself direct. The reason for that is
that one of the nine gifts is FAITH, and Jesus still HEALS and
if we have access to one gift, we have access to all nine and
should covet them.
-
- Ephesians 4:1-16 Paul speaking to the church, the saints
of Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: "I therefore,
the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of
the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and
meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one
hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God
and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in
you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to
the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he
ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts
unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended
first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is
the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he
might fill all things.)
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some;
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting
of the saints for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we
all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature
of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine,
by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie
in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, may grow
up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. From
whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that
which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working
in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto
the edifying of itself in love." Amen
- [ Source: KJV Hebrew Greek Kay Study Bible
edited by Greek Scholar Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers,
Chattanooga, TN 37422, U.S.A. ]
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