Philadelphia, Its Believers' Characteristics Pt 2
"By the Spirit" is the true sign of belonging to the Lord Jesus. It isn't an outward mark on a physical body or a fish on the back of your vehicle's license place, but the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit that resides within you. That is what is meant by "circumcision of the heart". And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live. This command was given to Abraham concerning circumcision: And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised The representative Jeremiah made this statement concerning the children of Israel: Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, you men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, lest My fury come forth like fire, and burn so that no one can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.”
Here are some examples of what the faithful look like:
Remember, the faithful do not accept praise from men, but rather from God. “I do not receive honor from men... How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" Falling down at your feet was an appropriate act of worship in the Near East. “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and those tall Sabeans—they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying, ‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.’”...The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. The custom also was observed in Cornelius' house when he met Peter. And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. The ambassador Paul told his Philippian audience that every knee shall bow at the name of King Jesus. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We see John had the same reaction: And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
The Lord said that if the believers endured the trial patiently He would keep them. 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. When one endured challenges and trials, you are putting all your trust in God's Word. The Greek for "keep you from" can mean either keep you from undergoing or keep you through. The hour of trial is the period of testing that precedes the consummation of the Kingdom. And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.
“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
The faithful, whose name is found in the book of life, will be delivered. At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. Saints, you have something to look forward to. Now shout! But those days of anxiety and stress will be unlike any other. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
Remember, the Lord Jesus doesn't live in time, but in eternity. When He stated "I am coming soon" It is not how we interpret "soon". We as citizens of the Kingdom must persevere by keeping His Word. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. The Kingdom citizens in Philadelphia embraced the Lord's Word. That is how they overcame.
The Lord Jesus made it clear He was returning and who He is: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Keep in mind, there will be a new heaven and new earth. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Praise the King! Always remember, your faith in God's Word is your greatest asset.
Deuteronomy 30:6 Genesis 17:9-10 Jeremiah 4:4 John 5:41,44 Isaiah 45:14; 60:14
Acts 10:24-25 Philippians 2:9-10 Revelation 1:17 Revelation 3:10 Revelation 13:5-10
Matthew 24:4-28 Daniel 12:1 Mark 13:19 Revelation 22:7; 12-13 Revelation 21:2
~~W.R. Luchie
Here are some examples of what the faithful look like:
Remember, the faithful do not accept praise from men, but rather from God. “I do not receive honor from men... How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God?" Falling down at your feet was an appropriate act of worship in the Near East. “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and those tall Sabeans—they will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you, coming over to you in chains. They will bow down before you and plead with you, saying, ‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other; there is no other god.’”...The children of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. The custom also was observed in Cornelius' house when he met Peter. And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends. As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. The ambassador Paul told his Philippian audience that every knee shall bow at the name of King Jesus. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. We see John had the same reaction: And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.
The Lord said that if the believers endured the trial patiently He would keep them. 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. When one endured challenges and trials, you are putting all your trust in God's Word. The Greek for "keep you from" can mean either keep you from undergoing or keep you through. The hour of trial is the period of testing that precedes the consummation of the Kingdom. And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.
“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
The faithful, whose name is found in the book of life, will be delivered. At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. Saints, you have something to look forward to. Now shout! But those days of anxiety and stress will be unlike any other. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.
Remember, the Lord Jesus doesn't live in time, but in eternity. When He stated "I am coming soon" It is not how we interpret "soon". We as citizens of the Kingdom must persevere by keeping His Word. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. The Kingdom citizens in Philadelphia embraced the Lord's Word. That is how they overcame.
The Lord Jesus made it clear He was returning and who He is: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Keep in mind, there will be a new heaven and new earth. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Praise the King! Always remember, your faith in God's Word is your greatest asset.
Deuteronomy 30:6 Genesis 17:9-10 Jeremiah 4:4 John 5:41,44 Isaiah 45:14; 60:14
Acts 10:24-25 Philippians 2:9-10 Revelation 1:17 Revelation 3:10 Revelation 13:5-10
Matthew 24:4-28 Daniel 12:1 Mark 13:19 Revelation 22:7; 12-13 Revelation 21:2
~~W.R. Luchie
