Personal Devotions - Revelations 3 (PT 2)

In Rev. 3:7, Jesus says He has the key of David & who opens & no one shuts, & shuts & no one opens. He continues in verse 8 to tell the church of Philadelphia that He knows their works & have set before it an open door that no one can shut. Jesus told us many times in the gospels that He is the door to heaven.

In John 10:1-18: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them.

7 Then Jesus said to them again, "Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

Here it says Jesus is the door. During the pre-trib rapture, Jesus will open the door to the worthy believers in Him. How to be worthy? To be holy & true. In Rev. 3:7, Jesus says He is holy & true so we have to be like Him. But we cannot depend on our own efforts. We have to depend on the Holy Spirit's help. We have to keep asking God to forgive us of all our sins daily. We have to be reminded to stay holy by the Spirit. We have to depend on God's strength to live holy lives. & when we fail sometimes, we can fall back on God's promises of forgiveness if we confess our sins before Him & humble ourselves.

Pls read the words to the church of Philadelphia & see how we qualify for the rapture: 7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write,'These things says He who is holy, He who is true, "He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens": 8 I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie--indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. 12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Rev. 3:7-13.

Are u having little strength & keeping His word & not denying His name? Are u keeping His command to persevere despite great persecution & trials? Be encouraged brethren. He is talking about u. Behold He is coming quickly. There is a place of escape for us. Keep going brothers & sisters! :)

Personal Devotions - Revelations 3 (PT 1)

In Revelations 3, we have the last three churches, namely Sardis, Philadelphia & Laodicea. Seems a coincidence that it should be chapter 3 of Rev & also the concluding chapter before John was raptured up. According to certain scholars, These represent the last three church ages & we are now in the last one - the Laodicean church age.

In Rev. 3:1, Jesus says He has the 7 Spirits of God & the 7 stars & then goes on to say the church of Sardis has a name that it is alive but it is dead. He mentioned the 7 Spirits of God & the 7 stars bcos it is by the Holy Spirit of God that the churches are made alive & filled. Without the Spirit, churches & people are dead spiritually. We need to be born again of the Spirit to live a new life in Christ. We need to be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit or we would be dead. The flesh is dead due to sin but the spirit is alive due to the Holy Spirit. Those who have the Holy Spirit are His. Those who don't are not His.

He then goes on to say in Rev. 3:3 that if we will not watch, He will come as a thief & we will not know what hour He will come upon us. This echoes what He said abt the end of the world in the gospels & elsewhere. Jesus told His disciples to watch. We are supposed to watch or we might just be left behind. It must be the secret rapture He is talking abt bcos nobody knows the hour or day of His rapture. Whereas the Second Coming is not secret & ppl will know when bcos the Antichrist would have come & all ppl have to do is to calculate the no of yrs & days from the Antichrist's advent.

So watch my fellow brethren. Take care of how we live our lives. Rev. 3:5-6: "5 He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. 6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."