Repent and Become Zealous

Transcript

GR 1515
01/25/09
Repent and Become Zealous
Revelation 3:19-22
Gil Rugh

We're studying the book of Revelation together, and we come to the end of the messages to the seven churches, Revelation 3:14-22. The messages to these seven churches provide an interesting, a fascinating look into the condition first of seven specific local churches of that time, but seven churches selected by Christ to give us His view and evaluation of His churches. And as we examine these seven churches we noted that down through history, down to our present day you can find churches like each of these seven in various states spiritually, with strengths and weaknesses. The church at Laodicea is probably the most well -known, we couldn't call it famous, we'd have to call it infamous because it is well known in a tragic sense. It is a church that gets no commendation, it's a church that Christ in its present state finds revolting. It's a lukewarm church and in verse 15 He said, I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. We noted the hot would refer to genuine believers and their zeal for the Lord. Cold would refer to those who were unbelievers and have no interest or involvement in the things of Christ. Lukewarm are those that are part of the church at Laodicea, professing believers who claim a relationship with Christ but there is no life to it. And that is the most revolting of all, the hypocrisy of it. So He said in verse 16, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. And we noted that word spit is the word, literally, to vomit. And we've carried it over into English, emetic, something that causes you to vomit. It is an ugly thought, it's very picturesque, it tells you how revolting Christ finds this church. They are in danger of facing the time when they will stand before Him and be totally rejected, a Matthew 7 kind of situation where they will say, Lord, Lord, we did all these wonderful things in your name. And I will say to them, I never knew you. Depart from Me, cursed ones. How could a church be so confused and so deluded. But it is.

Verse 17, you say I am rich, have become wealthy, have need of nothing. You do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. Describing their spiritual condition. They are totally destitute, they are without spiritual understanding, spiritual sight. Yet they think they are doing wonderfully. And we noted they have received a letter from the Apostle Paul that has not been preserved for us, they were instructed to read the letter that Paul had sent to the Colossians because Colossae and Laodicea and Hieropolis are churches in very close proximity. It's not only the people in this context who have had exposure in dramatic ways, including a letter from the Apostle Paul, and the opportunity to read other letters that Paul had written to other churches that had been passed on to them, but here thirty years after the Apostle Paul has departed from his earthly ministry here is a church that is without spiritual life. Christ said, I advise you, I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire. And we noted that gold refined by fire pictures their genuine, sincere faith. We noted I Peter 1:7, Peter uses the analogy of the tested gold, the picture there refined or tested faith.

White garments, the righteousness of Christ which is manifested in the deeds we do, for which we will be rewarded and have garments of white. Eye salve. Laodicea was famous for its eye salve, supposed to help cure certain eye diseases. Here are people who think they see well, they don't know, they have no spiritual sight. Christ says, buy from Me the eye salve that can truly heal your blinded condition. We noted when it said I advise you, I counsel to buy from Me, the background for that is Isaiah 55:1 where Israel was called to buy from God that which they needed to meet their spiritual situation. And He said, come buy without money, buy without cost. That's the picture here. Come secure it from Me, gracious invitation.

We broke off at that point in our consideration of this church, so we have to look at the last part of the letter. And it seems to have a striking turn because verse 19 says, those whom I love I reprove and discipline. Those whom I love, well He has just said in verse 16, because you are lukewarm I'm going to vomit you out of my mouth, I will have nothing to do with you, I will disown you. Now He says these rebukes come out of His love for them. And interestingly, the word love here, it's not the word agape or agapao, love, that self-sacrificing love that we often see used of God. For God so loved the world. The word love here is the phileo love, like we have in Philadelphia, love of the brethren, the city of Philadelphia, the church at Philadelphia. It's a phileo love, it's a love of friendship, it's a love that has emotion involved in it. Here we have Christ declaring His love for them, not just that self-sacrificing love that caused Him to sacrifice Himself to pay the penalty for their sin, but that love of friendship, emotion. We'd say His feelings for them. It denotes a warm affection that He has for them.

And we wonder how can this be? This is a church that is comprised by and large of unbelievers that He finds so revolting that He is ready to have nothing to do with them, disown them, if you will, be rid of them if they don't change. How can He turn around and say, those that I love I reprove and discipline. I think it helps if we think back to the situation with Israel. Now don't get confused, I'm not saying that Israel is the church, but we can see a parallel with Israel, the nation Israel. They were the people of God. The nation is viewed as those that God had chosen for Himself, they are the chosen nation. God says through Amos the prophet, you only have I known, of all the families of the earth, in Amos 3. You're the only ones I have chosen, you are the object of My special affection, I have placed My intimate love upon you as a nation. That's true, even though the majority of the nation had come to be unbelievers. And you have a distinction take place that you have the nation as a nation which is the object of God's love because He has chosen them as the nation. And then you have within the nation the individuals who experience His love in that special redeeming way.

Turn over to Romans 11. You'll note how the chapter begins. I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be. For I, too, am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel. Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have torn down your altars. I alone am left and they are seeking my life. What is the divine response to him? The response is, I have kept for Myself 7,000 men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. You know some have looked at this and from the numbers relating to the numbering for the armies in Israel and so on and have estimated that we have less than one-half of 1% when you say 7,000 men have not bowed the knee to Baal. 99.5% of the people in Israel from that statement had proven unfaithful, and yet God can speak of His love for the nation and the people there. That's the point in Romans 11. So he goes on to say in verse 5, in the same way there has come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice. So that God's love for Israel, the nation Israel has not changed even though it narrows down to a very, very small remnant of genuine believers in that nation. The nation is chosen by God, but that does not mean that every individual within the nation has experienced His redeeming grace.

Parallel here the church. The church is God's by purchase. That would be true of each of these seven churches. Remember Acts 20:28, the church has been purchased with His own blood. So the church belongs to Him. Now over time, and a relatively short time, even as we have seen in our studies in II Timothy, it becomes infiltrated by unbelievers. The church as the church still belongs to Him, but here when you get to the church at Laodicea even though this local church gets narrowed down, it is still addressed as a church that belongs to Him, even though within the church there are few in the church at Laodicea who would be genuine believers. In that sense it is similar to the people of God in the Old Testament in Israel's situation. You have the church as the chosen entity of God, then you have the individuals that comprise the church. Ideally everyone in the local church would be a genuine believer. That would have been the ideal in the nation Israel, everybody in the nation Israel should have had a circumcised heart, but they didn't. So when Christ said He loved them with that affection, it's because the church is His, even as Israel was His. Even though every individual in that church does not belong to Him, even though a very small number, perhaps at Laodicea a very, very, very small percentage belonged to Him, He can still speak of the church as His and it is addressed as such and so the object of His affection.

Come back to Revelation 3. Those whom I love I reprove and discipline. And rebuke and chastening are evidences of the Lord's genuine love. He rebukes, reproves, disciplines those that He loves. The reason I am doing this is I do love you. He wants the church to come to Him. Even as God keeps calling to Israel in the Old Testament, I betrothed you to Myself, you've been unfaithful, come back to Me, so now you have Christ appealing to the church. I love you, I am rebuking you, I am chastening you. He has said some very strong things here, but it's because I have a desire that you would come to Me.

What do they need to do? Be zealous and repent. Two commands. The first one is a present tense command. That word to be zealous, it's related to the word translated hot up in verse 15, you are neither cold nor hot, I wish you were cold or hot. Zealous comes from the same root, you see the idea. Someone who is zealous, he's boiling. It comes out of that kind of background. I call you to become hot. How does that happen? You must repent, aorist imperative, another command, a sharp command. Not a present tense, but something that must take place. You must repent. And out of that will come the zeal that will be ongoing. What is lacking would come from what? Repentance. When we studied II Timothy 2, Timothy was to present the Word of God in kindness and gentleness, even as Christ appeals to them with love, here in the context of God granting them repentance. That's what is needed here. You must repent, agree with the evaluation of the Lord of the church that we are lukewarm, we are pleased with ourselves, we are not cold. We gather together as the church, we meet together, we talk about scripture, we talk about the Lord. But we are lukewarm. There is no passion about it, there is no zeal for it, they are not “on fire” for the Lord. They are just about it. Like when people say, just squeeze in church, we ought to go to church, we're Christians, we're believers, we need to be at church. And my concern is if we can squeeze it in, in as little bit of time and in a way that will interfere as little as possible with the rest of my life. It's like we are doing the Lord a favor by giving Him at least little pieces of our time and little pieces of our lives. And over time easy for churches to settle down to that, become characterized by that, become a place where Christianity doesn't make any waves, doesn't cause any problems, doesn't ruffle any feathers. And seems to be prospering and doing well. Repent, repent of being lukewarm. Repent of being poor and miserable and blind and naked. See yourself as I say you are, turn from your wretched condition and buy from Me, if you will, salvation at no cost. Place your faith in Me. Repent, be zealous. Interesting, the order. You'd think He would put the order repent and be zealous, but He commands them have a continuing zeal and repent. That action of repentance is foundational to the zeal. In effect, I command you to be hot coming out of here, out of what I said earlier, but that will require repentance on your part, genuine salvation, repentance.

Those whom I love I reprove and discipline, therefore respond to My love. Respond to My gracious invitation. Isn't it amazing? Those who are so revolting to Christ, He expresses this warm affection for them and invites them with such love, commands them with such concern to be zealous and repent.

Verse 20, one of the very familiar verses out of the letters to the seven churches. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. This verse has been understood a couple of different ways. Generally the way this verse is understood, even with the differences in understanding, that within the confines of scripture the issue becomes what are we talking about in this verse. For example, some people take this verse to mean Christ is knocking at the door of the heart. We've all seen the picture with Christ standing knocking at the door, the picture of Him being excluded from the heart of the person, the inner person that we are, and knocking, desiring to come into that life and have fellowship with the person. And there is a truth to that. Salvation brings fellowship and relationship with the Lord and there are times when the concept of an open door is used of an opportunity in God's work of salvation.

I think it is true the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost, Luke tells us. But I think here there is something more in live with the context of the book of Revelation that He is talking about. Behold follows up on the commands to be zealous and repent, pay attention. I stand at the door and knock. And that reinforces those commands, they are so urgent because Christ is at the door knocking. I think it's a reference primarily here in the context of the Second Coming and the importance of salvation in light of the imminence of the coming of Christ and the establishing of His kingdom, if you will. It is at the Second Coming He'll come through the door.

Let's look at several passages in this context. Come back to Matthew 24, pick up with verse 32. The context of Matthew 24 has been the return of Christ, and we will be in Matthew 24 on a number of occasions when we get further into Revelation, and particularly into chapters 6ff, when we're into the 70th week of Daniel. And Matthew 24:15 will talk about when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place. Verse 21, then there will be great tribulation. That's what Revelation 6ff is about. And then verse 30 you have the sign of the coming of the Son of Man appearing in the sky and they'll see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. That's the Second Coming of Christ to earth to establish His kingdom. Remember Acts 1 where Christ is caught up in the clouds to heaven. The angel tells the disciples that this same Christ will come in the way that you have seen Him go. That's the way He'll return, and that's what is pictured here.

So then verse 32, now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branches already become tender, puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So you, too, when you see all these things, the things relating to the 70th week of Daniel, recognize that He is near, at the door. So that picture of Christ being at the door, the closeness of His return and coming to set up the kingdom over which He will rule and reign.

Go back to James 5:9, do not complain, brethren, against one another so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold the judge is standing right at the door. Now see the context here. James is writing to the twelve tribes of the diaspora, believing Jews scattered outside the land of Palestine. And he uses this picture. Be careful how you conduct yourself, the judge is right at the door. And what will Christ do when He comes to set up His kingdom? Well, He'll bring judgment on unbelievers as well as deliverance for believers. Where is the book of Revelation going? It's going to chapter 20, 21, 22, the establishing of the kingdom on earth. In that context you have the judge at the door.

Come back to Revelation 3:20, behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. I take it the open the door refers in effect to our salvation. So it's in the context but anticipates the time, then, when believers will welcome Him and the establishing of His kingdom. That's when He will come in and dine. We make an application of that, we enter into fellowship with Christ when we believe in Him. In I John 1, John writes and says we want you to have fellowship with us and our fellowship is with Christ, with God. So we do have fellowship with Him, but in the context here when He talks about I will come in to Him and will dine with Him and he with Me, He's talking about those who will welcome Him when He comes to set up His kingdom because that's when the marriage supper of the Lamb will occur.

Come over to Revelation 19. The chapter opens up, this is the return of Christ at the end of the 70th week of Daniel to set up His kingdom on the earth. For some of you, you have been through this many times, and others of you, maybe some of the material is relatively new. The 70th week of Daniel and those things, we'll be covering it more and more so don't get lost along the way. It will be like pieces of a puzzle. You pick up a piece here, the puzzle is still not together, you pick up a piece here. Hopefully when we are done with chapter 22 you won't just have a pile of pieces, but you'll have a puzzle that fits together, all the pieces in the right place.

We are at the end of this age and the 70th week of Daniel. Christ returns to earth, heaven is celebrating. Then verse 9, then he said to me, write, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Verse 11, heaven is opened and Christ descends. So the marriage supper of the Lamb is ultimately the promise given, we'll see more of that, the promises given to these church, remember, carry us often to the coming kingdom and the place that believers will have in that kingdom.

Come back to Luke 12. Christ addressed some of these matters during His earthly ministry. Verse 35, be dressed in readiness and keep your lamps lit. Now this is instructing in preparation for the coming of the king to establish His kingdom. Be like men who are waiting for their master then he returns from the wedding feast so that he may immediately open the door when he comes and knocks. See the picture? Ready to welcome him. You be like those when their master comes, you are ready to open the door and welcome him. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes. Truly I say he will gird himself to serve, have them recline at the table, will come up and wait on them. Whether he comes in the second watch or even the third, he finds them. Blessed are those. But be sure of this, if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. So you, too, be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. You be ready, when he knocks, you open the door. So you see the prime reference came out of what Christ talked about. I am knocking at the door, emphasizing any moment you may have opportunity to welcome Him and be ready for the kingdom and entering into the kingdom.

You say, well, the church has the rapture to anticipate. That's true, the promise for us as believers and much of the promises given to us, even as the church, relate to the role we will have in the kingdom that will be established by Him. So it seems that is the context that He is talking here

Go to Luke 22:28, you are those who have stood by Me in My trials and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom. You see, I stand at the door and knock, same picture He used in Luke 12. You be ready to open and welcome Me and your privilege will be to dine with Me at My table in My kingdom. Intimate fellowship that we will enjoy with Him in that context. So when He says to the church at Laodicea and gives the promise that He is standing at the door knocking. And if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, we go back and say when did Christ talk about that during His earthly ministry? Yes, the context of His coming to set up the kingdom and then our welcoming Him and being privileged to sit down in the kingdom with Him and enjoy fellowship, dining with Him.

I will come in, will dine with Him. This is in strong contrast to the utter rejection we saw in Revelation 3:16, I will spit you out of My mouth, vomit you out of My mouth. But there will be those who will recline with Him at table, enjoy sweet fellowship and communion in the kingdom that He will establish. This is what was in view, remember, when Christ established the communion service. Matthew 26:29, I won't partake of these elements, drink of this wine and so on until I partake of it with you in the coming kingdom. That's a promise of the time of coming fellowship.

Come back to Revelation 3. I think the prime focus in Revelation 3 with the Lord standing at the door and knocking is the picture of Him as the One who will come to rule and reign. And you will be excluded from that kingdom if you don't repent and be zealous in your love and service for Me. Verse 21, he who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne. Now you see here we're going to be carried to the kingdom again. So the focus is the kingdom. You'll dine with Me in the kingdom, you'll sit on my throne with Me in the kingdom. We're carried to the kingdom, we're ultimately going to the kingdom. Even the church is ultimately going to the kingdom. So He is talking here.

To him who overcomes I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Back in chapter 2 verse 26 the message to the church at Thyatira, he who overcomes, who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I have received authority from My Father. So you see that prophecy of Christ's reign. We're going to share in that reign, have His authority delegated to us as His representatives, promises to the church and to the churches.

Come to Revelation 5:9, we're into the heavenly scene, the throne room scene in chapters 4-5. And in heaven they are singing this song, worthy are you to take the book, verse 9, and to break its seals. For you were slain and purchased for God with your blood, men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God and they will reign upon the earth. When? When Christ reigns upon the earth.

Go over to Revelation 20:4, then I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was given to them. I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, because of the Word of God. They hadn't received the mark of the beast, worshiped his image. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. This is where we are moving, toward the kingdom. And that's what believers will be doing, they'll be ruling and reigning with Christ in His kingdom when He establishes it on the earth.

Revelation 22:5, we are in the eternal dimension of the kingdom. We have even moved beyond the first thousand years, the millennial phase of the kingdom. Verse 5, there will no longer be any night, they will not have need of the light of the lamp or the light of the sun because the Lord God will illumine them and they will reign forever and ever. That promise. Back in Luke 12, we stopped just short of the next statement of Christ when He said and you will sit on twelve thrones, ruling over the twelve tribes in His kingdom. That's the promise.

Back up to I John 5, the promise is to the one who overcomes in Revelation 3. He who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne. I John 5:4, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. That's what the overcomer is, remember, in the book of Revelation. That's the one who has repented, turned from his sin, placed his faith in Jesus Christ. He has overcome the world. We're talking about true believers, that would carry us back to the command—be zealous, repent. The one who does, the overcomer, I will grant him to sit with Me on My throne, back in Revelation 3:21, as I also overcame.

Let me read you a verse from II Timothy before we move on. Most of you have been here on Sunday morning for our study in II Timothy. In II Timothy 2:12, if we endure we will also reign with Him. That promise given for the church there. If we endure we will reign with Him. That permeates God's plan and revealed purposes for His children.

Back in Revelation 3:21, him who overcomes I will grant to sit down with Me on My throne as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Christ overcame. You have to go back to John 16:33, this is Jesus' last night with his disciples. He is about to move to the Garden of Gethsemane to be betrayed by Judas and crucified. He says in verse 33, these things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. We become overcomers because we believe in the One who has overcome and in His victory we become victors and have the victory. So we can be spoken of as overcomers because we have believed in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection. And He has overcome the world, conquered sin and death and Satan. So when He refers, as I also overcame, for the overcomer there is reward. It is enthronement.

So we come back to Revelation 3. I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne because he is an overcomer. As I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. So we're going to spend a little bit of time here. We have to be clear, there is much confusion today. Some people think that when Christ died and was resurrected He was seated on the throne in heaven. There is an element of truth to that. But He was not seated on His own throne, He was not seated on the throne of David, if you will. You'll note the distinction here in Revelation 3:21, I will grant him to sit down with Me on My throne, even as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. There are two thrones here in this verse—My throne is the throne of Christ, and the Father's throne. Christ was enthroned on the Father's throne. That's not the Davidic throne. Some then get into a spiritual kingdom because now you see He has been enthroned, so He is reigning from heaven and all believers are His subjects and so we have a spiritual kingdom. Or you have what are known as the progressive dispensationalists, which some of you are familiar with, who think that the kingdom has begun because Christ has been enthroned. That's not so. He has sat down on the Father's throne. He shares rule. A throne, we're not talking primarily about the chair, although there are literal thrones. But a throne represents the authority, the power to rule and reign.

You go to a museum, there can be a throne there that some might ruler used when he reigned, and they could say, would you like to sit on the throne. I sit there and say, now I'm the ruler. No, because I don't have any power. I'm just sitting in a chair. The throne represented something when the king who had all authority and all power occupied the throne. Without that it's just a chair, maybe a valuable chair, but in and of itself it doesn't have power. But it represents something. Christ was enthroned before He ever came to earth.

We have to go back to Isaiah 6. In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted with the train of His robe filling the temple. So a literal throne he sees here with all the authority and power and majesty that goes with it. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings. They call out, verse 3, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory. Isaiah says woe is me, I am a ruined, I am a man of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord of Hosts. Then his iniquity is removed, verse 7. Then verse 8, I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send, who will go for us? Then he said, here am I, send me. Go tell this people, keep on listening but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do not understand. Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, their eyes dim. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and return and be healed. You go and preach to them, Isaiah. I want to tell you ahead of time, nobody is going to listen. You see the importance of staying with the message, not being worried about whether they listen or not. Isaiah's responsibility is you go tell them, I'm telling you ahead of time I've deadened their senses. They won't be saved, but you go preach it.

What we're here for, come to John 12. This is significant, we read that passage and we say this must be God the Father enthroned in heaven, but we come to John 12 and John says that was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, enthroned before His incarnation. John 12:37, but though He had performed many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him, referring to Christ, obviously. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? That's referring back to and quoting Isaiah 53, we didn't turn there. But keep going, for this reason they could not believe for Isaiah said again in Isaiah 6, the portion we just read. For He has blinded their eyes, He hardened their hearts so they would not see with their eyes and perceive with their heart and be converted and I heal them. These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory and spoke of Him. Nevertheless, many even of the rulers believed in Him. The Him here is talking about Christ, everything before and after. Awesome to consider. Jesus Christ was enthroned, He didn't have to come to earth to suffer and die to have a throne and rule with His Father over all creation.

Come over to John 17, we are at the last chapter before He crosses over into Gethsemane and is betrayed. Here you have His high priestly prayer. And the chapter opens up, Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. Even as you gave Him authority over all flesh, note, that to all whom you have given Him He may give eternal life. This is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on the earth, having accomplished the work which you have given me to do. Now Father, now note this, glorify Me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was. Jesus Christ did not have to come to earth to have glory. Now He asks the Father to restore the glory that was His from eternity. We saw just a glimpse of that in Isaiah 6, the enthroned Christ. Holy, holy, holy.

So when He sits with His Father, He is restored there having accomplished redemption. He sits on the Father's throne in Revelation 3. Of course He has been restored to the glory that He has. He shares the authority over all with His Father. Restore Me to the glory which I had with you. So He sits down with the Father on His throne, sharing His authority, His power and so on.

But there is another throne, it's why Jesus Christ came to earth. He was enthroned as God for eternity. But the throne that is founded on His work of redemption, the Davidic throne, promises a covenant of David in II Samuel 7 is something different. So now we're going to Daniel 7. Good practice through the week, work on the books of the Bible, get familiar because we're going to have maybe 500+ references, not quotes but references, to Old Testament passages as we move through the book of Revelation. Daniel 7, and we'll be back to this to set the context as we get into Revelation further. But here we have the 70th week of Daniel. Now you come to this time, now ready for the return of Christ to earth and you have the scene, what is going on in heaven. Verse 13, I kept looking in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven one like the Son of Man was coming. Messianic title, the Jews recognized it when Christ came, the Son of Man. He came up before the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. To Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom that all the peoples, nations, languages might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away, His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. Now here at the end of the 70th week of Daniel, the seven-year tribulation, now Christ comes before the Father to be given a special throne where He will rule over all the nations on the earth in fulfillment of the promises to David. And we have returned to it previously and we'll be back to in future studies.

Come to Matthew 19:27, Peter said to Him, behold we have left everything and followed you. What then will there be for us, what's our future? Jesus said to them, truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration, that's when sin will be dealt with, the curse will be lifted from the creation, the desert will blossom like the crocus and so on. When the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne. Not on the Father's throne, on His glorious throne, the throne that He came before the Father to receive in Daniel 7 because it was time for the fulfillment of prophecy. You shall also sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. These disciples will be enthroned with Him, they'll have special rule over the realm of Israel and the twelve tribes. We will be ruling and reigning as well, with our own realms of responsibility. But you see, when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne. That's the promise to the church at Laodicea. You will sit on My throne, even as I sat with My Father on His throne.

Come over to Matthew 25:31, but when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, that's what we just touched on in Revelation 19. Then He will sit on His glorious throne. He was seated with the Father on the Father's throne when He ascended to heaven. But He will not sit on His own glorious throne, the throne of David, on this earth until He returns at the Second Coming. It's important we don't just run these things together and think a throne is a throne, the Father's throne, Christ's throne. He sits on the Father's throne so must be the same thing, so He must be on the throne today. He is, in previous studies we looked at the eternal kingdom. He has always had a throne but that's not the promised throne to David, that's future. It will not be until He comes in His glory at the Second Coming, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Then, verse 32, all nations will be gathered before Him. Then He will sort them out. And verse 41, the unbelievers, depart from Me cursed ones into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. He'll spit them out of His mouth, as He said to the Laodiceans. To the others, verse 34, they've already been addressed. The king will say to them, come you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So you see this is a unique setting, this is when Christ takes the throne and rules from Jerusalem over all creation.

He has had an eternal throne with the Father, He was seated there and restored to that after His work of redemption and His ascension to heaven. But we are looking forward to the time when He'll come in His glory. Then He will sit on His glorious throne, ruling on the earth. We're talking about a literal coming earthly kingdom.

Back to Revelation 3. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. We're to pay close attention to what God has to say. This is a message, remember, Revelation started out in Revelation 1:1, the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show to His bond servants the things which must soon take place. And He communicated through the angel to His servant John and now the Spirit of God has directed it and it has been given out. So we see Father, Son and Holy Spirit involved in this communication. He who has ears to hear better listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches because He is communicating the message from the Son who received it from the Father. This is the word of God, it is sure, it is settled. You better pay attention. When Jesus Christ says, be zealous, repent, that's the final word. Or else be vomited out. There are no alternatives, this is not a game, church is not something that we do for entertainment. We are about the work of the living God, involved in gathering together a people for Himself for a kingdom that He will establish. What a glorious destiny we have. We look forward to the time when He will rule and reign on this earth and we will rule and reign with Him. And He requires that we be zealous, hot, boiling in our service for Him. It's not good enough, well, I go to church, I do what I can. Are you passionate about it? Lukewarm won't cut it. Be zealous, repent.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for your love. Lord, a love that comes through the most unlovable situations, unattractive. Here is a church, how sad, a church, and yet it is in a revolting condition and they are oblivious, their hearts are stone cold, they have no grasp of their true spiritual condition. They sit there blind, naked, deadened and yet in love, in genuine affection you reach out to them and command them to repent, to be zealous. There is still opportunity for them to turn from their sin, place their faith in the Savior who loved them and died for them, and become overcomers, partakers of the glorious promise that we will someday rule and reign with the One who is Lord of all. Thank you, Lord, for this message to the churches, these messages that include our local church as well. May we honor you with our service that is indeed not lukewarm, not cold, but passionate, zealous, that you might be pleased. We pray in Christ's name, amen.