You're Going to Get a New Name in Heaven

To understand the Book of Revelation you have to understand the Old Testament. When we were studying yesterday about the church of Pergamum we were understanding what Jesus was referring to when He reprimanded the church for holding to the doctrines of Balaam, who was called and ordained by God,  and here, the best way to understand what that was is to go back to Numbers 22-25 and read how Balaam was a prophet of God who found he could make a serious profit selling his services to those who wants blessings or cursing issued upon their enemies. He was basically prostituting his office for money. Isn't that what we are seeing a lot of today?

Just like Satan's tactics are designed to lead us astray so was that very same thing happening not only to Balaam but to those in the church of Pergamum as well as the believers and churches today. We all need to be aware to judge what we hear based on the Bible and the Word of God, over what the world would have us believe.

Acts 17:11 ~ "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

We need to be doing the same in every part of our lives, all of the time. Rightly dividing the word of truth from that of the world. Let's go back and see Jesus' reprimand in its entirety to the church of Pergamum and those believers who compromise in their spiritual walk even today.

Revelation 2:14-15 ~ "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: you have people who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak, to entire the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. "

We remember that when Balaam attempted to curse the Israelite's, God pronounced a blessing over them instead. We know that Balaam went back to the kings, enemy of Israel and asked for more money to try it again, they paid it, he tried to pronounced a curse but once more God gave Israel a blessing instead. He is able to manage to convince the king one more time to pay him to curse Israel,  but it doesn't work and God continues to bless them instead, the same as before. At this point Balaam knows his time is up, the king is about out of money and Balaam is quite wealthy. You've heard the saying, If you can't beat them, join them? Remember what happened to the church of Smyrna, when they resisted against temptation? Satan simply tries something else. There is a Greek proverb that says, "Whom the gods could not destroy, they made great." If they couldn't destroy them, they simply exulted them instead.  Man can't handle exultation!

So what Satan did, was marry them to the world since they could not be destroyed. Balaam basically told the king of Moab, and all the surrounding kings to bring their finest women, all the most beautiful and hot women and bring them down. Bring them with their pornographic idols, have them bring those as well. Don't forget to bring some sacrifices too, and have them walk real seductively down to the men of Israel. Now remember these men have been away at war for quite some time. Have them begin to flirt with the men of Israel, and he proclaimed that the men would fall for every single one of the women. So that is just what the kings did. The men did exactly what Balaam said they would do and they followed the women to the altars of their pagan gods. They set down their idols and said, "Let's do this. Let's do that." After they completed the acts, they sacrificed the animals, on the altars and then they ate it together. God turned and killed thousands of those Israelis soldiers that day. Why? Because they compromised.

"Oh I will just lower my standard so I can date this person or that person. Surely God will know and understand." You allow compromise in and who knows if you would have just held out for one more moment, when God's answer was coming and you simply gave up. God had that wonderful person for you, or that perfect job all lined up or whatever it might be and you simply gave up. You compromised. Jesus turns and rebukes the church and if you're a Christian, you know what that feels like when He rebukes. It hurts!  He says, "When I spank you, cause I'm about to spank you, when he spanks in His correction and rebuke, He carries you upward as His hand comes down, right into His arms. He never comes down on you! When God disciplines, He puts a stop to our behavior because He knows it's not beneficial to us. When He spanks it's one that lifts us up into His arms.

But will we be willing to be judged like that from the Lord? Will we let Him judge us? He says, I have a few things against you. He mentions the doctrine of Balaam, you know about that know. We have to be willing to be judged by the Scriptures, but also this, we have to be willing to refuse false doctrine in our lives. "Thus you also hold to the doctrines of the Nicolaitans which I hate." The Nicolaitans were these guys, scholars can't agree, there were disciples of Nicholas, who were a bunch of weirdos, or the Nicolaitans, which is a compound word in the Greek Nico = rulers, kings or judges, hierarchy, a status in a religious setting, that ought not to exist. Laitans = laity, the people. Jesus says, "I hate the teaching that a church gets from a select group, that presides over the church, thereby the servants, flock or church, become servants to a select few. Nicolaitans, rulers over the people, who fleece the flock. They take money from them. Who Peter says, "that they through preaching, might acquire money, position, status. Jesus says, I hate it! People who have designated lives, "Don't talk to him, he's the Pastor." What?

How many of you have been in the corporate world, understand the corporate ladder, the pyramid? Who is at the top? The CEO, or the stockholders. The stockholders employ the CEO to ensure the company is working right. And everyone else serves him so to speak. The pyramid goes up. Well not in church. Not in the church of Jesus. It goes upside down. The church is lifted up. The church is exulted, that is why as Pastors of churches, if they are going to be true pastors, that if you're doing something right, they should be encouraging you. If you're sleeping with someone's wife or husband, they are supposed to say, 'You can't do that! Right here in the Bible it says you're not supposed to do that! You're going to ruin your life!' They will do anything they can to help you stop doing the things you shouldn't be doing. But instead, people will turn on their pastors and say, they should be the ones judging them, but all they are merely doing is pointing out what Jesus says, and He has the authority to judge. They are simply helping you to try and get back on track again. To repent and get right with God.

Do you really think when you tell your pastor off, that they are put off by the fact that they care more about your soul than you do? But the truth of the matter is that you are going to ruin your own life and someone else's life as well. The thing is regarding false doctrine, these Nicolaitans, they existed, the church at Pergamum, was the first period of church age, historically through Constantine. It became most prominent. That Constantine, of the Roman Empire said, "You know what? Enough of this. I want Christianity to be the official religion of Rome of the Roman Empire. I want it's headquarters moved to Rome. And to show my token of sincerity, I will appoint Bishops under me. Constantine declared himself to be Pontiff. If you don't know this, than you haven't spent much time in history. Alexander the Great said, I will be the Pontiff, the Pope, and I will declare all of these to be my bishops, and as a token of sincerity I will drape you in robes, I will set you apart from the people. I will grant you basilicas and cathedrals. He commissioned them to be built. He declared that the church would be just like the world. And the world would be just like the church. And the lines were skewed. Now I am not coming down on the Catholic church or religion at all, I'm just telling you that if there is any church, group, denomination, that says, "We are the ministers, and the pastors." People might say that pastors stand behind a piece of wood above everyone else, but it is simply to see everyone else. Not to be above everyone else.

But if your pastor can't interact with you, something is wrong. If pastors have to have a designated life, I eat here, you don't eat here, I sit here, you don't sit here; I park here, you don't park here; that is Nicolaitan!  It creeps into the church, it's all over the place. It's wrong. If you're church shopping, put this verse on your shopping list.

"Jesus said but you, do not be called masters any of you, for one is your teacher, that is the Christ, and all of you are brothers."

That means if I am not born again, I'm not going to make it to heaven. It doesn't matter how high a pulpit is built or if you give a pastor a parking space, or a million bucks, if there are not born again, they are not going to heaven. Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one gets to heaven but through me." Jesus told Nicodemus, the religious leader of that day, unless you are born again, you will never see the kingdom of God. It's not about how much money you give, Jesus doesn't need your money, it's not how much you serve, He doesn't need your service; He wants your heart, the part you won't give up. He wants your heart. If you are not born again, you will not see the kingdom of heaven. No one will make it in, unless they are born again. Despite how wonderful they might appear. God does not judge based on performance. Where did we get that?

No one welds any power but whatever God gives them. You can't buy faith. It's free. You don't get it by following anyone else but Jesus.

Revelation 2:17 ~ " He who has an ear, let him heart what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna,. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. "

No more manna to eat. No more sacrificial food, sacrificed on altars. He says He will give us a white stone, the stone of acquittal. All of these sins you have racked up against you, all of these things you have done, Jesus says, He will give you a white stone. In those days if you were acquitted of a crime, the judge would give you a white stone. Isn't that cool! It also says He will give you a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it, that is a great reference to 2 Corinthians 5:17, ~ "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 

God's going to give us each a new name. Do you have a new name waiting for you? When you arrive into the presence of eternity, are you going to get a new name? Is God going to hand you a white stone, which means, you've been acquitted of all crime, sin, wrong doing in your life. If you do, when you turn it over, there is going to be a brand new name that is fit for heaven. You'll get a whole new life. Is your name written in heaven? You can have that by asking him to forgive you of your sins and ask Him into His life.

Heaven is going to be an awesome sight and you missed it because of religion and you missed out on the relationship with Jesus. We don't need to compromise because God is on the throne. Remember that no matter where you find yourself, what kind of job, community, school or neighborhood you live in, you don't have to compromise! Stand strong! God's on your side.

What Will the Church Look Like in the Last Days?

As we see things spiraling out of control around us, not only in our own country, but in the world, we can see we are growing ever closer to the coming of Jesus Christ. Yet there are still many things that haven't happened yet according to Bible Prophecy, but I believe we are seeing the stage being set and Jesus can come at any time for the church. We just don't know when, but He did advise us to be prepared and to watch for His coming.

So what will the church be like in the last days? I believe that we are beginning to see the changes happening within churches even now. When we look at the book of Revelation, we can see that Jesus wrote letters specifically to the 7 churches of that day. There were more than 7, but these were definitely places of influence that served large geographical locations when you connect their locations on a map.

In Revelation 3:14-22, Jesus speaks to the Church of Laodicea, which will be the kind of church we see becoming quite popular just before the return of Jesus. Yet out of all the letters to the seven churches, this was the worst out of all of them. Jesus had nothing kind to say about them at all. This is the church that looks like a church from the outside, has a cross on it, well known in the community, but Jesus isn't in it at all. He's trying to get in.

The church is so compromised and so loved by the world, that it is just like the world it resides in. No one gets saved here. The doctrine of the Bible is missing, the worship and message from the pastor are 100% carnal. This was a dangerous church. They were a recreational church, concerned more about what people thought about them, not God. They were living a lie and they were poisonous.

It is a liberal, compromisng church. The pastor won't stand up for God. He doesn't preach the Word of God, he preaches what the people want to hear. He leads people down the same path he is following. He wanted to blend in with the city. He refused to be faithful to what the Bible says. They weren't even reading the Bible. The church began to take on the personality of the pastor.

They were a wealthy church, so much so, that they didn't need God's help any longer. They could handle things just fine on their own. Everyone was welcome here, there is no judging people on what they believe because all the beliefs are accepted here.

Sound familiar?

Lately, you see in the news and on social media, the various churches that are beginning to change the way they have done things. To appeal to a broader, more diverse group of people. They want to reach everyone and are starting to water down the message of the Bible because they don't want to offend anyone. It is becoming more of a place to be and be seen, than to hear the truth and Word of God. In a sense, they are literally kicking God out.

For me, this is just another sign of the end drawing ever closer. We see more church pastors and leaders willing to compromise on what they are telling their churches and even will go so far as to not speak out against the things God says we should. Their focus is on wealth and prosperity. They pull scriptures from the Bible that will lead and have led many people astray in their thinking.

May we pray that our churches stand up in the face of adversity and the end times. That we won't cave to the pressures of the world around us and stand on the absolute truth of the Bible. That we won't back down on the issues Jesus would have us defend and may we pray for our pastors to stay strong in the world that is slowly beginning to compromise in light of what the world wants instead.

What is worse, is when Christians adopt this attitude. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, need to take a hard look at the life we are modeling to the world. Are we compromising? Are we becoming apathetic to the things God wants us to get involved in? Have we stopped praying and growing spiritually in the Word of God. If so, you might want to rededicate yourself to God and possibly look for another church if yours is showing signs on Laodicea. Now as the days and times grow darker it is ever more important for us to stand on God's Word and not compromise. The world is looking for what a real Christian looks like, will they see that in you?

Is the Church of Pergamum Being Resurrected?

 Replica of Throne of Zeus from the Pergamum Museum in Berlin, Germany

If you followed my blog post from yesterday, living in a compromised world as a Christian, now more than ever, I see our world rushing towards an end point in its fulfillment of Bible Prophecy. I've always been an absolute huge fan of the Book of Revelation, because like a great stories, it is promising to know how it will all turn out in the end. For some, not so happily of an ending, but for followers of Jesus Christ, we have more hope than ever before in the last days ahead of us.

Again, remember that the Book of Revelation 1:3 ~"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what it written in it, because the time is near." (NIV).

It is the ONLY book in the Bible that offers a blessing on those who not only read it, but hear it. How wonderful is that? Who wouldn't want to read it? And yet, there are many churches today that are completely avoiding the Book of Revelation in their teaching. I believe we are seeing a change in what the church is teaching, but also who it is trying to gain as members. It is trying to become more of a form of entertainment than teaching the profound and glorious Word of God.

Each of the seven letters are addressed to one of seven churches in Asia Minor, but more importantly they apply to the hearts of a believer. We will all fall into one of the seven categories of where our faith is right now.

In the letter to the church of Pergamum, there's was a church founded on the knowledge and Word of God. (By the way, the entire temple of Zeus has been unearthed and reconstructed in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. The video is below)

Revelation 2:12-13 ~ "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live - where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city - where Satan lives."

Everyday a spiritual dynamic is in play in your life, whether you are at home, at work, or in your community and even your church. No matter where we go, we need to resist the urge to compromise. At no time is this warning needed more so than right now, as Christians remain silent and ignore what is happening all around us. Now I have heard the argument from well meaning Christians, that we shouldn't defend God. He doesn't need our defense, but the Bible does call us to stand up for what is right. He knows about our conviction, but will we stand up for what is right? It seems lately we are beginning to make compromises, and we begin to skew the lines of what is right, in light of what the world wants.

We can see the path of compromises the church in the United States of America has made since it's foundations. Yes, despite what the media or other forms of news communication would lead you to believe, we, The United States of America, was founded on Biblical principles. We have watched as those small compromises have not only changed how we live, to what is acceptable in our society today, while Christians remain the most hated group in the world today. Why is that?

I believe it is because they don't like our absolute moral convictions that come from our knowledge of God's Word and our belief in Jesus Christ. We have watched them strip prayer from our schools, to removing the 10 Commandments from government offices, to nativity displays being removed, our Constitution being called into question to see if it is simply an outdated document, while more laws are being created statewide and nationwide than ever before to appease those minority groups who are demanding their civil rights. Where is the voice of the Christian?

I believe we have remained silent for too long. People have assumed that because we voice no objection, then we must be willing to accept and tolerate what is happening in our neighborhoods, our communities, cities, states and even the nation. We are graying the lines of absolute moral truth. You would think looking around at what you see all around you that we have compromised in a big way. Look at what is on television, the movies in the theaters, on our computers, by way of ads that pop up or are on your sidebar, what is on the news or even the music we listen to. Why do we continue to do so? Well because so might argue, the Bible doesn't say anything about not doing those things?

Oh really? Let's consider this:

Philippians 4:8 ~ "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (NIV)

Think back to the last thing you saw or heard on the radio or television. Did this verse of scripture apply? Like that steamy commercial for Carl's Jr's latest burger? Seriously is it really selling a burger?

Romans 12:2 ~"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." (NIV).

Colossians 3:2 ~" Set you mind on things above, not on earthly things." (NIV)

Romans 8:5-7 ~"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." (NIV)

Mark 7:20-22 ~ " He went on: what comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean." (NIV)

Just taking a look at these past scripture verses outlines what the believer and follower of Jesus Christ should be doing, but are we? Have we allowed compromise to enter our lives?

Think about the computers we allow into our homes. It is like a license to allow subtle things that pop up or appear even when we aren't looking for them, have a way of simply showing up. What are your children viewing on their computer? Do you know with absolute certainty it is wholesome and pure? Pornography is running unleashed in our homes, destroying families and marriages. Seemingly innocent chat rooms are enticing members of the opposite sex to share a conversation with one another. Just how much is this really worth to have in your home? What is the price you are willing to pay to watch your family destroyed?

Not I am not condoning getting rid of the computer, because it helps make our lives so much easier. It's that idle time being spent on a device rather than our relationships with family and friends. You can see the effects happening right around us. Our children are more engaged with their smart phones and computers than with one on one conversations. Einstein even stated, "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction." 

The Bible states what we need to do quite clearly:

Psalm 101:3 ~ "I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me." (NIV)

1 Peter 1:13 ~ "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you living in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;" (NIV)

Proverbs 4:25-27 ~ "Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or left; keep your foot from evil." (NIV).

Is this not happening today? In our homes? Are we losing touch with our family and friends because we are more engaged in our technology than in people?

We need to stop being a compromised believer! We need to turn back and repent from our sinful ways and remove these compromises in our homes, and in our lives. We can not allow the lines of what we believe to be grayed.

If the lines are gray, why did Jesus die for our sins?

If the lines are gray, why did He have to suffer?

If the lines are gray, why did God give us the instruction manual for life in the Bible?

In the church of Pergamum, which was literally in a location so evil, the church stopped doing anything about what was happening all around them. They chose to ignore it. Slowly it began to filter into the church itself.

But we need to remember Jesus' authority in Revelation 2:12b ~ "Him who has the sharp, double-edged sword." He welds a sword to cut us down in our sin, to remove it and cut it out through the power of His Word.

Revelation 1:16b ~ " out of His mouth came a sharp, double-edged sword." (NIV).

If Jesus isn't Lord in your life, than He is nothing.

Remember Jesus knows where we dwell. That where you live, life may be very difficult. Christians are supposed to be the most loving people are earth, but we will also be the most hated too by the world!

We need to ensure we are not mean, ugly and hateful, but stand on the Word that is the absolute truth.

Matthew 5:16 ~ "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." (NIV).

We need to step out of the "gray zone" and be the light of this world.