February 25, 2022
25
“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.” Revelation 3:11
When Jesus comes, it will happen rapidly! Often, we interpret quickly to mean only soon. “Soon” is correct, but there is more! Yes, He is coming soon. And when He does it will be with great speed. To the unprepared it will be frightening (Revelation 6:16) and to the prepared it will be indescribably joyful (Isaiah 25:9).
The church at Philadelphia, although lavishly commended by Jesus with no rebuke at all, is still given counsel: “Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”
This small, young church had gained a firm grasp on a pair of crucial facts (today we call it a “reality check”). One is the reality of ever-deepening internal corruption that followed the establishment of the pure, apostolic church. The other is the reality of the need for heart-level commitment to a continued, earnest study of the Bible. Only love for Jesus can bring about real commitment to the study of His Word, which continually increases that love!
Because of the prophetic sequence of the letters to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3, what was true on a small scale during the first few centuries grew to a massive scale over the course of the history of the church. By the time we get to Philadelphia, we see determination on the part of a few to sort out the distorted and unbiblical teachings that had been imposed upon the masses by the papal system, as illustrated by the church at Thyatira. Such commitment must be on the part of individuals, for God is saving people individually. No one rides in on the coattails of anyone else. This is the great lesson of Jacob’s struggle with God (Genesis 32:24-30). The new name, Israel, was given to a single man.
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
The gospel of God carries with it opportunity to be rescued from eternal death! The attitude represented by Isaiah: “Here am I! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8b) is sadly the rare response, but it is the ideal one. If Isaiah’s response were adopted by all who hear the call of the Lord, a broad-scale rescue operation would ensue. Much hesitation and disobedience might be overcome by understanding two things: the enemy’s desire to destroy people’s lives and God’s desire to save them. Hear the impetus delivered from Mordecai to Esther:
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14
to be continued tomorrow…