Christ's Warning To All Members Of The Church

Christ thunders this message to all members of the Philadelphian Church worldwide: “Therefore come out from among them, and be you separate…and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17-18).

Some few Christians are choosing to come out of the world. They are willing to seek God with all their hearts. These are those called of God at this time. Let’s understand. The Bible does plainly speak of those who have been called by God. Notice what Paul said to the Thessalonian brethren: “Faithful is He that calls you...” (I Thes. 5:24). As a warning to the Galatian congregation, who were losing sight of the true gospel, he said this: “I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (1:6), and later added, “This persuasion comes not of Him that calls you” (5:7-8). To the Corinthian congregation he wrote, “For you see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (I Cor. 1:26).

When you read or hear things like these in books such as this one, do they have meaning to you? Are you grasping them? Are they plain to your understanding? Do you see them as special knowledge others do not have? Do you feel tempted to pinch yourself in disbelief that you could be shown things of which the masses have no idea? If the answers to these questions are “yes,” then God is calling you! The mysteries of the kingdom of God are being given to you!

In the end Christ beckons those who have faithfully responded to His call, “Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name My God, and the name of the city of My God, and the New Jerusalem, which comes out of heaven from My God, and i will write on him My new name” (Revelation 3:11-12).

Remember, satan is a master deceiver. He has forged many forms of false religion all over the earth. He counterfeits the truth in endless ways, and God’s calling process is no exception. Be certain of whether you are being called at this time. “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (2 Pet. 1:10). You must decide whether you grasp the truths of this book—whether you are being given your opportunity for salvation now!

The Laodiceans were famous for producing shiny, black wool clothing and boasted of an outstanding medical centre that specialized in eye ointments. With the wealth amassed, it had also become the banking centre of the region. For all its wealth, the city had poor water, the water either came from the nearby hot springs and was cooled to lukewarm or came from a cooler source and warmed up in the aqueduct on the way (notes on Revelation 3). Christ says to this church: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot” (verses 15-16).

The city of Laodicea had a water problem. One nearby town had fabulous hot springs and another had cold, clear water. Laodicea, however, was stuck in-between lukewarm mineral-laden water that tested like sulphur. Not hot, not cold.  Given these facts, the words of Jesus to the Laodicean brethren must have stung. Christ uses the Laodiceans’ lukewarm and distasteful water to point out that their poor spiritual state is equally offensive to Him. And when He thought of them, He felt like vomiting –like the effect of their water. What was their problem? Was it the sin of indifference about whether to accept the gospel; or to stick to their self-sufficiency, which had satiated their taste for Christ?

Christ warns them that, if they do not rapidly improve their spiritual condition, He will reject them. He detests the Laodicean attitude of compromising with God’s laws. By contrast, He later describes those who are faithful to Him as “those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12). Further, even if their clothing were world renowned, Christ tells them that their “spiritual garments” were in pitiful condition.

“…you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed… (Revelation 3:17-18). He recommends that they focus on buying from Him the spiritual clothing of true righteousness that He later describes as “fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Revelation 19:8). Jesus next tells those brethren, who were blind to their true spiritual condition that, the “Phrygian powder” concocted in their medical centre as an eye ointment was useless.

Instead, He advised them to use His true spiritual eye salve so they can clearly see and repent of their compromising attitudes. Lastly, Christ warns them not to put their trust in their physical wealth but in Him, who can develop the true gold that comes from overcoming trials and building righteous spiritual character.  The Laodicean Church represents the final state of the church during the Great Tribulation.

The mainstream churches are slowly but steadily gliding into the Laodicean era. However, in the very end of time, at the fulfilment of this prophecy, the church on earth would not heed this message to repent of their sins. Because they would already be in perfect harmony all manner of worldliness. Though the whole of mankind would be afraid of God because of His wraths that are being unleashed on the earth and its inhabitants; yet they would also be afraid of the dragon who gave his power to the beast (Rev. 9: 20-21). They would be indifferent –lukewarm- about who to obey, being neither hot nor cold, and as such bringing great destruction on themselves.

Therefore Christ wraps up the prophecy: “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. 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” (Revelation 22: 11-13)

I want to believe that your heart has been loosened by the amazing and true words that you have read thus far. The purpose of being a Christian or being born again is to submit to the will of God and allow Christ to guide you in the path that leads to everlasting life. From Genesis to Revelations, the commandments of God are evident to all believers. A true servant of God will do everything within his/her power to obey the commandments of God so as to escape the wrath of God. “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building… 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.” (1 Cor. 3:9; 16-17)

Having known all these things, what manner of Christians should we be? Should we remain in the ‘valley of decision’ knowing that even if we are made to walk in the valley of the shadow of death, we should fear no evil? Should we be under the sway of the devil, when the Spirit of Jesus Christ that is in us is greater than the antichrist spirit that is in the world? Should we allow the works of the flesh restrict us from keeping the commandments of God which he has put in our hearts –to proclaim the gospel of peace to all nations – citing persecution and religious obscurity as an excuse for not saving the lost sheep of Israel?

I beseech you brethren, by the grace of God: “Even if we die, let us not die like fowls; if we must die, let us die like soldiers of Christ. If we must live, let us “fight the good fight of faith” till the end of time. And if we live, let us live for Christ.”

There is an evil which I have seen on the earth. Those who say publicly that they know Christ have not even been known by Him (In other words, Jesus Christ does not know them); but those who are known by Christ are often afraid to profess their faith in Him.  I have not written to you because you don’t know Him, but that you know Him and you must confess Him even unto death.

“Behold I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). May God help you to come out of the Babylon of this world (Rev. 18:4), that you may qualify to rule with the all-powerful, living Christ in the wonderful, utopian new heaven and earth that lies ahead!

“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. GO and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even to the end of the age.” Amen. (Matt. 28:18-20)