Mystery #12 mystery of Church Judgement

Revelation 1:20

“The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand and the seven golden lamp stands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lamp stands which you saw are the seven churches.”

 

Introduction:

This is the mystery of evaluation of the churches and there are actually both positive and negative consequences to this. It is an important to note that the number seven is written an absurd amount of times in the Book of Revelation. It is definitely symbolic to the number of completion of being finished or finishing as God made the heavens and the earth and everything in it in six days and rested on the seventh signifying it is finished. Actually, the seventh day is symbolic for the Millennial rule of Christ for 1000 years ushering in the physical kingdom with all of its power and glory. This is why the bible says that a day is as a thousand years to the Lord and a thousand years is as a day. It is the main reason that Paul and the apostles exhort the church to persevere, watch and be found faithful during the day of evaluation.

 

It is important to note that as Jesus prepares to evaluate the seven churches that He has seven angels representing the messengers to those churches that these are His final thoughts and finals concerns for the completion of the age of the church. It is an interesting thought that angels carry out seven aspects of judgement in the book of Revelation. Angels have always been used as messengers whether in word or in deed. 

 

The warnings to those in the churches by the angels, are a message from Jesus that you better repent and be overcomers in the hopes that you don’t experience some of these coming judgements. 

The fact that God judges His people is clearly evident throughout the scriptures.

(2 Corinthians 5; Hebrews 10).

 

“For the word of God is living and powerful and sharper than a two edged sword piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account…For we know Him who said vengeance is mine, I will repay says the Lord, and the Lord will judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God…Therefore we make it our aim whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad….Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw each ones work will become clear; for the Day will declare it because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures he will receive a reward; if anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are…And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to everyone according to His work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, The First and the Last.”

 

Conclusion: (complete)

 

While living, Christ gives us the chance to repent when we do sin. He gives us a way to be in right relationship with Him. 

 

One of the problems with these passages is that popular teaching has watered most of them down to not include the church, which the scriptures obviously do, or to say that it will only be a loss of reward.

However, it is important to understand that the word destruction in one of the verses above is the Greek word “phtheiro”, which literally means “moving down from a higher level, quality or status to a lower form.” This shows that God absolutely divides His own children into classes specifically those who will receive more intimacy and more honor and responsibility in His Kingdom. The second half of this Greek word, means “to break down”, which agrees with the many warnings of continuing discipline and training for those who have not come to the end of themselves and finished their sanctification process.

 

In summary, in chapters 2 and 3 in Revelation, Jesus gives His evaluation of His Body, His Churches.

This is an evaluation of all of His churches and His scrutiny of the church’s works.

Notice, He has an evaluation of works. This is about their works of faithfulness on the earth.

How did they serve Him? How did they love Him back? 

 

His plan is to eventually give us rest for our works. To those who come out of their race first get to rest earliest and get rewarded the most. To those who come out of the race later, their works will get harder. This can be seen through the stages of judgement and the warnings given to God’s people to remain faithful and to repent of any area of their life in which they are not being faithful in order to be an overcomer….a victor. 

 

(See Key to Rewards, Punishment, Neutrals; Key to Mystery of Ages and Stages; Key to the Parables of the Virgins and Servants and Goats)