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Seven churches in Rev 2 & 3

Historical sequence of seven churches and their correspondence to history of progression of churches through the centuries.

[ Comparing history of each giving individual model of existence to correspond through centuries  to sequential churches throughout history = exact correllation ]

 
First   Ephesus   The exemplary church, but became Loveless.   Without explaining all the very interesting details of each city.  We will only confirm ourselves to the historical significance as a church professing our Lord.  Historical Ephesus was half-way between Rome and Jerusalem.  An interesting point on which to think.  Its population was about 250,000, a true metropolis and a trade center in Asia.  The temple to Artemis there was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  And Paul's ministry there was so successful that the silversmith at Ephesus was the one in Rome to help condemn Paul to death before Nero.  All the idols and idol worshipping books were publically burned there in great public burnings, and the numbers of Christians became the greatest throughout the Roman Empire.

Paul had his most successful work in Ephesus, spending 3 years there.    Almost overnight the churches established, only in hundreds of homes with no church buildings, Christianity at that time became a powerful influence in the city and throughout Asia Minor.  Yet Paul's, letter to Ephesus was addressed to the one church at Ephesus, consisting of all these little meetings.  It became the mother church in Asia, and the geographical center of all of very influential Christendom.   Aged Apostle John, before and after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, John found Ephesus to be the largest Christian center in the world.  While in Ephesus John wrote  his Gospel, 1-3 John, and possibly the Book of Revelation (after his return from Patmos) in about 95-100 AD.  Three of Paul's letters, relate to Ephesus, the Epistle to Ephesus and 1 and 2 Timothy, where Timothy spent many years until finally suffering martyrdom there under Domitian in the same persecution that sent John to Patmos.  And it is thought that possibly the two letters of Peter and that of Jude originated in that region.

About 10 years after the death of John, Emperor Trajan sent Pliny to Ephesus to see if the Christians there should be persecuted.  Pliny wrote back to Trajan that Christianity was so successful there that the pagan temples were almost deserted.  Little wonder that Ephesus was considered the first church among the seven churches in Revelation.

In Revelation this church was commended but also warned because, due to its applying to perfect doctrines they neglected their individual personal relationship to their first Love, who was with Christ Himself in their daily individual mental and Spiritual focus of their lives.  The Lord said they hated the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6), who were the lords-over-the-people (in Greek), who were apparently those in the home meetings who were trying to assert themselves as heads over the group.   This predates our instituted hierarchies within the churches today called pastors and bishops, priests, and deacons.  In the Greek New Testament these terms are not found in church meetings or congregations.  Much later dated English translations instituted them into the scriptures at the demand of King James in order to preserve the hierarchy of the Anglican church.

As we can see, this primarily exemplary first church, of pure doctrines, was already growing cold with personal deviations within it of having left their first Love or first work  (Rev 2:4-5), not keeping the first Greatest Commandment.  Its form of Assembly no longer exists today, except in extremely rare instances of practices in home churches today, without self-exalting leaders, which they refused--Nicolaitanism.  But the only fault that Jesus found in them was their forgetting their personal continuous mental focus on Him and His Father in their personal mental and Spiritual focus in their daily lives.

Second  Smyrna  The suffering persecuted church.   Following Ephesus, and the early growth of the churches throughout the world in the first century, there arose a period of intense persecution by 10 successive Roman Emperors, with the last being Constantine to legalize Christianity in the empire in 314 AD, being the primary cause of the final institutionalizing of hierarchy within the churches for controlling them for Imperial oversight, finally becoming Imperial Roman law about 375 AD.  The church of Smyrna was singled out as being an example of those suffering churches from persecution, which continues throughout the world even today.   In the 1990's alone it was estimated that daily about or over 1,000 Christians a day were being killed daily throughout the world, and it is even higher today.

In Revelations 2, there was absolutely no condemnation of this Smyrna church, but only praise, by our Lord.  And when it says, ye shall have tribulation 10 days. A day, hemera, in Greek is often an indefinite time period.  It is thought that this is referring to the 10 Roman Emperors causing extreme persecution of them, until Constantine declare Christianity legal. 

But, of course, after being legalized they could meet in big buildings with big congregations and find themselves now lorded over by self-presuming individuals among them, Nicolaitanis, and combined with the pagan Babylonian religions in one assembly by Constantine, who declared himself the Pontifex Maximus as head of the pagan Priesthood, and Vicarius Christus, Vicar of Christ, as head of the Christians.  This then passes on to the next historical time portrayed by the Imperial church in Pergamus.

This, of course, is where the forming Roman Catholic church and pope (a pagan Nicolaitan assumption of christianity) assumes his titles from Constantine.

Third  Pergamus  The Imperial worldly Church.     With Constantine, Christianity soon became legalized within the Roman empire, and churches through out the world became totally corrupted with legalized demanded Nicolaitanism and combined with pagan practices and called the Christian church thereafter, unfortunately.

We  believe, personally, that Origen 200's AD (originating allegorizing of any person spiritually interpreting any verse is valid reading of the scriptures, justifying later modern Dispensationalism of the world), Constantine 300's  AD (Instituting pagan doctrines and Nicolaitanism of hierarchy in the so-called church, and instituting church buildings for future history of practice); and Augustine 400's AD (Instituting all the doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic church throughout its history, and all the doctrines of John Calvin's writings) have been the three greatest corruptors of True Christianity of any men in world history. 

Pergamus became the center of political control of the region, being the capitol of the ancient Greek kingdom of Pergamos, until the last of the great Pergamenian kings bequeathed it to Rome in 133 BC.  Pergamum became the chief town of the new province of Asia and the site of the first temple of the Caesar-cult, erected to Rome and Augustus Caesar in 29 BC.  A later shrine was later erected to Trajan.  It also was the major center of pagan worship of Zeus, called Zeus the Savior because of a military victory over the Gauls.  There were also temples to Asclepius who was worshiped in the form of a serpent, a symbol of satan.  It was here that our Lord said, where even satan's seat is,&&..and where satan dwells (Rev 2:13).

 It was natural that Nicolaitanism should flourish in a place where politics and paganism were so closely allied, and where pressure on Christians to compromise must have been heavy.  It is here that our Lord said, you have the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate, says our Lord (Rev 2:15).   It was here that devotees of heathen practices, who had infiltrated among the Christians and were enticing them to participate in sexual vices of pagan worship, calling themselves Balaamites (Numbers 25 and 31:16 by advise of Balaam), who had a large following there..

Pergamus was an ancient seat of pagan culture and pagan learning.      It possessed a library that rivaled Alexandria's in Egypt.  Parchment was invented at and named after Pergamum, to free the library from Egypt's jealous ban on the export of papyrus.  Pergamus was the seat of Emperor worship, and often Christians who refused to light incense to Caesar were put to death.  We must never forget that satan did his greatest work at the tree of learning in the Garden, and all seats of higher learning is where he still does his great works today.  Just witness what has happened to our society after past intense 60 years of educating out school teachers in godless socialist idealisms.  And this is instituted in this church of government controlled education, and intrusive religious mandates.

In the days of the early Christians in Pergamus the deviations of the church tended to be great.  With the very influential Balaamites teaching it is alright for Christians to participate in sexual practices of pagan worship,  the needed compromise to the Imperial Emperor worshipping or be severely persecuted, and the overbearing Nicolaitans in even their own churches, Christians were in a very difficult society in Pergamus.  They were told, "repent, or else I will come quickly and fight against them (the Nicolaitans) with the sword of My mouth" (Rev 2:15-16).  This is why our Lord said to this church, "to him that overcometh will I give to eat the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone" (Rev 2:17).  The hidden manna may be referring to the Tree of Life's fruit in Heaven (Rev 22:2), and the white stones were often used in ancient legal courts to signify a judgment of acquittal.



Fourth  Thyatira  The compromised Jezebel idolatrous church.   Like Pergamus, Thyatira was deeply involved in compromise, but Thyatira goes beyond what even Pergamus imagined in compromising doctrine (teachings).  Thyatira was famous for its magnificent temple of Artemis (another name for Diana) and Thyatira was a commercial center with many trade guilds (many orders of workmen) who periodically sponsored idolatrous feasts  with a women called Jezebel somehow associated.  Jezebel must be so named here because she resembled Ahab's wicked consort who introduced depraved cults of Asarte (again Diana, the mother of  worship, in this city) into Israel (1 Kgs 16; 1 Kgs 16:31-32; 2 Kgs 9:22, 30-33).  She is given a place in the city, but scripture says she calls herself a prophetess to teach and seduce servants to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols, and I gave her space to repented not.  Behold, I will cast her into a sick-bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation except they repent of their deeds, and I will kill everyone of you according to your works (Rev2:21-23).

This is the strangest of all the seven churches; its peculiar worship of this Jezebel.  It is dominated by this Jezebel and these different orders of workman who sponsors idolatrous feasts with this Jezebel.  And we only have one other reference to this Jezebel in the scriptures, who had introduced the abomination of Astarte  (mother of worship) into Israel (1 Kgs 16) and was introducing the same vile practice into this very odd Christian church which seemed to have accepted or at least tolerated her and he idolatrous teachings and working guilds or orders of workmen, conducting strange celebrating idolatrous feasts.  But the Lord said, as many of you that have not this doctrine of Jezebel and idolatry and have not known the depths of satan, as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden (Rev 2:24).  Again, a dark saying, which seems to be only known by the deeper initiates into this strange church.

The only church we are acquainted with that could possibly fit these descriptions would be the Roman Catholic church with its many orders of priests and openly idolatrous practices, Mary worship and praying to her and adoration feasts and being given a place of high honor, engendering all sorts of idolatrous feasts parading her adored statues about, and many candles and incense burnings representing supplicants prayers to her, and beads with repeated words over and over for their worship to her, and protective scapulars worn to magically protect you from harm.  And have dark understandings among the priests and nuns like their secret practices, among them is mental reservation as they speak open lies but exonerating them from this sin, and other even much deeper practices which they will not divulge, known  only among the confirmed priests and nuns (celibate men and women) of many different orders.  And their mother, Mary of worship, today is elevated even to a Co-Redemptrix on a level with Christ in saving people from their sins.  Even in their worship of Christ's body and blood given in death on our behalf, they say the bread and the wine is actually turned into the body and blood of Christ each time a priest with supernatural powers elevates it in worship at communion services, and is kept in a box at the alter for all to worship upon entering the magnificent churches filled with statues of especially elevated saints to worship (which they prefer to call adoration) and who receive our prayers in their special assigned roles.  The communion bread eaten by worshipers is actually the real body of Christ, and the wine drank, of course, only by the priest, is actually the blood of Christ.  What could possibly be more disgusting and blasphemous!!  And if that weren't enough, they have a High Priest, they say is infallible in his declarations, calling himself the Highest representative of Christ on earth, and teaching that this church's traditions is even above the Holy Scriptures from God Himself.  If ever there was a pagan idolatrous group, this is it, calling itself Christian.

 And not surprisingly, this group has the largest number of followers in the world than any other so-called church in world history.  Not surprising, because we are told, in His Holy Word, that natural "man's heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things" (Jer 17:9).   So why wouldn't it prefer this idolatrous satanically evil group and all its quiet captivating worship mysticisms of spooks and goblins.

And through the centuries, this so-called church, has murdered and horribly tortured an estimated 50 million people for just being Christians outside their idolatrous group, and confiscated their lands and fortunes for centuries, until the middle 1800's, when such remaining imprisoning Monasteries were forcefully closed in Europe by Napolean's armies.

It is little wonder that this church is introduced with Christ, the Son of God, "having eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet like fine brass" (Rev 2:18)   And yet, despite all this, our loving and merciful Lord says, "But unto you I say, and unto the rest of Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine (referring back to this Jezebel worship and idolatrous practices) and which have not known the depths of satan, as they speak, I will put upon you none other burden, but that which ye have, hold fast till I come.  And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations." (Rev 2:24-26).

Fifth   Sardis   The DEAD orthodox church.  This is a most interesting church, following immediately after the Thyatira church of idol worship and paganism throughout.  The name Sardis means "to come out."   Here is our Lord's opening statements describing this church, "These things saith He that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art DEAD.  Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die; for I have not found thy works perfect before God.   Remember therefore how thou has received and heard, and hold fast , and repent.  If, therefore, you shall not watch I will come upon you as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon you."

Now what church followed, "coming out of," from the Thyatira church, but the Lutheran-Calvinist church existing also in our time now.  John Calvin wrote the first human Systematic Theology in the world, published in 1535. .  So his name and teaching that corresponded to Martin Luther's in most ways that we refer to them as somewhat synonymous teachings in coming out of the Catholic church, intending to simply reform it, that their movement was called The Reformation, not a total change.  They still continued to hold infant baptismal regeneration, (1) DENIES any future Millennium saying we are already in it since 70 AD, and Luther still taught that communion was a transformation into the real body and blood or Christ, and many more odd teachings as the TULIP principle teachings of Calvinism to support their Election idea, never before proposed except by Augustine 400 AD, declared the doctor of all doctrines by the Roman Catholic church; and Calvin, himself, said (c. 1535) that he had never written anything that was not said by Augustine (400).  Imagine!

This Reformation church ("having a name that you are living, but are dead") teaches that people are saved by being directly suddenly struck by God as unsuspecting persons, completely transforming them to an Eternity later in Heaven, however much they continue in sin, because they will always return to their Lord before they die to go to Heaven, they say. This teaching they call Election of the saved by God.
 
This effectually  (2) DENIES the Holy Spirit for His primary work in sending Him into this world to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment that a man many knowingly reject his then perceived sinful self and commit himself by his choice to His then perceived Lord and Master forever.  But this lightening bolt like Election, as Calvinists call it, is remarkably unscriptural not found anywhere in scripture.  And this all happens by a legal decree from God, which also is not found in scripture.  This teaching also  (3) DENIES man any choice in His choosing Heaven or hell, to be a co-worker yoked to His Lord who then enters his spirit to guide, teach, gift, and empower him to perform God's-good works  (Eph 2:8-10).  This also  (4) DENIES His method in saving us, called Grace which in fact is, "Christ in you, through your obedience, doing what you cannot do."  And it (5) DENIES that any man can be adopted into the family of God and His Son by the birth-from-above provided to man for his choice, "that they may be one, even as we are One," (Jn 10:30, 17:21-23) and adopted into the family of God.

This last denial of adoption to sonship with Christ and our Father is such a serious blindness, let us take this bracketed space to explain the issue in detail.

[[[  ADOPTION AS SONS, only BECAUSE OF ATTRIBUTES OF GOD NECESSITATING IT. 
Calvinism teaches the following: 
[Quote]"With Justification comes Adoption into Jesus Christ.  His only true natural Son is Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ becomes our elder brother by way of Adoption.  You are by nature the children of wrath, not children of God.  Nobody is born into the family of God.  God is not by nature your Father.  The only way you can have God by nature as your Father is if He adopts you.  And the only way He will adopt you is on coat tails of His Son.  But when you put your faith and trust on Him and rely on Him, God not only declares us just but He declares us sons and daughters by way of Adoption." [Unquote]  (R. C. Sproul, Saving Faith, video teaching, underling and bolding ours)  This is saying you are not really having any righteousness or Holiness within yourselves in any manner. 

But the scriputures plainly repeatedly teach that Christ Himself in us (while we are on earth, Col 1:27) is our Righteousness and Holiness, and so we are to take our living and directiions from Him in us, THEREBY LIVING BY FAITH OF CHRIST IN US, AND HIS HOLY WORD. So when it says we are saved by faith of Christ, it means just that VERY PLAINLY.  Our salvatioin does not depend upon any thing of man except our obedience (JOHN 3:36.... BUT TO THEM THAT ARE DISOBEDIENT THE WRATH OF GOD IS UPON THEM (AND AT LEAST FIFTY OTHER VERSES SAY THIS ALSO).  See Doffun's free eBook, Our Creator God, Chapter 2 and chapters 8 and 11 for scriptures,clearly explaining man's righteousness and Holiness, while on earth.

-------------Calvinism teaches that our justification is both a Divine pardon for our sins  (made just by Christ' Penal Substitution, accomplished ONLY in Heaven's bookkeeping) and an adoption to God's family in Heaven only by imputation (legal bookkeeping) ONLY (R. L. Dabney, Systematic Theology, p 627, 1871 and reprinted 1996).  It is a legal declaration only.  It is called external or synthetic righteousness by Calvinists.---------------------------- 

This legal accounting, called imputation, is a double imputation of being made just and adopted, and is accounted only to those chosen by the Father to be in Heaven, and solely due to the righteousness and obedience of Christ ONLY while He was here on earth. Only this righteousness of Christ's obedience while on earth is accounted as applying to us, makes us acceptable within Christ's obedience when He was here on earth.  The person justified and adopted has no righteousness or Holiness in himself in any manner or form, even by Christ's indwelling, and Christ is simply and only sitting in Heaven as an advocate to His bestial monkey Father holding His paws over His eyes and ears, not to know about our continued sinning on earth.  This is what Luther and John Calvin taught very forcefully in their preaching.    Calvinism teaches this.  Calvinists call this a "synthetic" or external righteousness, external to us, in Christ's merit alone by legal bookkeeping, only, as He sits in Heaven now. 

And this "synthetic" righteousness only applies to us by a legal (forensic) book accounting in Heaven ONLY.  Blasphemous !!  While Christ also now ONLY sits in Heaven acting like a mediator between these yet carnal, sinful flesh driven men, while the Father, has his hands over His eyes and ears to ignore the sins of these people, supposedly His, continuing on earth.  Calvinism ignores, that Christ, by His Holy Spirit with the Mind of Christ Himself is Living in each born-from-above person, and is actively yoked to them, of obedience, to be living Holy and Righteous Lives here on earth.  BUT, a God of Attributes cannot have any FELLOWSHIP -OR- RELATIONSHIP  to anything not conforming to His PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES of Love, Truth, Holiness, and Wisdom. 

Calvinvinism and later Dispenstionalism take their understanding of Christ's Atonement work and purposes for us from pagan understandings of ancient gods instituted by Roman Catholics in 1098 AD, being essentially gods of 6 Characteristics ONLY (Omniscence, Omipotent, Omnipresent, Immutable, Spiritual, and Sovereign).  Pagan gods are WITHOUT being GOVERENED entirely by intrinsic Being selves of 4 Attributes (Love, Truth, Holiness, and Wisdom).   ONLY is our True Creator, entirely governed by His Personal Love, Truth, Holiness, and Wisdom which are entirely NOT possessed by natural unregenerate sinful men or pagan gods.  These Calvinistic ancient pagan understandings of Penal Substitution Atonement work for us was handed down (1) through Augustine (c. 400 AD) who was a Persian Manichean for eight years previous to his professed conversion and later declared the doctoral "father" by Roman Catholicism because he taught every doctrine and practice of the Roman Catholic church even to this day ; and (2) through a proposal by Roman Catholic Archbishop, Anselm, in c. 1098 AD, in his book, Me cur deus, (Why the God man) explaining what has come to be called the Penal Substitution Atonement (theory), so widely held today. 

There are no scriptures, however, which teach this Penal Substitution Atonement in any way or manner, except the very false translation of 2 Cor 5:21 (KJV), which actually adds the critical words, "Him to be" in English that are not there in any Greek texts, plus has three other deviances in translation in one verse.    There is NOT ONE scripture saying Christ was the object of God's Wrath, NOR that Christ was punished for our sins on the cross, NOR that He paid for our sins or was a payment for sins, NOR that he died to remove our guilt.  The scriptures do say that He suffered death (1 Pet 3:18) in our behalf, and that He paid the price (1 Cor 6:20 and 7:23), the release provided (lutron, "release provided," or ransom in KJV, Matt 20:28; Mark 10:45: and 1 Tim 2:6)) in the place of us, doing what we could not do, that we could be restored to fellowship as His obedient servants through faith (His indwelling Mind provided to those who want it).

Christ HIMSELF ACTIVELY PROVIDED HIMSELF, with His Father's approval, planned before the foundation of the world, for our salvation by releasing us from our sin and sins by vicariously taking the EXISTING separation death of our sinful flesh nature and our separating sinful acts , separating us from God, to the grave IN HIS SINLESS FLESH and sinless shed Blood, to rise again to give us His indwelling SPIRIT Life in fellowship with Him and the Father NOW in our Lives and Forever. 

This was a PROVISION FROM CHRIST Himself with His Loving Father by (1) His own dead body of sinless flesh nature and shed sinless blood to vicariously remove our sinful flesh natures and sinful acts, and (2) to rise again in restoration of His Life, that He might Justly provide us, His cleansed vessels,  RESTORATION (redemption) to His Holy Presence and Fellowship starting NOW, here on this earth and Forever.    Does anyone want this?    As part of repenting (rejecting self) and committing (under orders of another) to your Lord Jesus, you must reject your flesh nature to follow your Lord.   This is the Gospel (1 Cor 15:1-3 and Mark 1:15, and many other references).  

The Calvinists and Dispensationalists, who most adamantly believe that this Penal Substitution Atonement, originated by ROMAN CATHOLIC Archbishop ANSELM, 1097 AD, is absolute orthodoxy today, are totally scripturally blinded by their learning the great scholastic traditions of men, all Pharisees, by definition.  They have never read the Bible to see what it so plainly says, in searching for Truth, instead of depending upon esteemed mens' teachings.  There are no scriptures that speak of punishment from the Father's Wrath, or quilt,  And the satan is rejoicing at his work in them at his sedentary station at the tree of knowledge since the Garden.  Quite an easy sedentary job for him through the centuries of this Age on earth.  Our Lord said, "Beware of the doctrines (teachings, traditions) of the Pharisees."   Remember, he who bases his eternal destiny in what a man teaches is a fool.  Only the Holy Spirit teaching of what His Scriptures teach in the best Greek text is the ONLY path to run the race to our High calling in our Lord.

And now, of course, we are taken farther by the Emerging church which openly hates teachings of scriptural doctrines (through which we are being saved, 1 Tim 4:16) and any prophecies, through which we are to understand the times of our nearing rapture out from within their planned coming persecution, and God's Great Wrath coming on all those left in the world.  The Emerging church actually teaches there will be no rapture, that Fundamental Christians should be killed, and anyone that teaches prophecies "is not worthy of the Kingdom of God" (Rick Warren). They believe that they, by these teachings, will bring the universal world-wide kingdom of their god-of-forces to earth by themselves, all little gods themselves.  Clearly, the end of this Age is rapidly ending as prophesied.

Even now, Calvinism and Dispensationalism denies ALL the plain scriptures, regarding Christ's Restoration work for us.  Scriptures teach there is an indwelling of Christ in us (Born-from-above ones), being our righteousness and Holiness, in a new-birth-from-above as sons of God in our reborn spirit, experiencing a foretaste of Spiritual righteousness and Holiness to live obediently ourselves here on earth, to the leading, assuring, revealing, gifting, empowering, teaching, (LAR GET) of our indwelling Christ in the way of God-good works (Eph 2:8-10), by which impartial judgment all men and women (saved or unsaved) will be judged to Heaven or hell.  And Christ in us, is our hope of Glory(Col 1 :27), is entirely overlooked by the Calvinists and Dispensationalists.  And, yet, the Calvinists (opposite the later Dispensationalists in this point) teach that man must be Holy and righteous when he dies, or he won't go to Heaven.  HOW (by their false teachings)? we ask!!  

Later Dispensationalists teach that carnal men are going to Heaven REGARDLESS, because of the "grace" of God.  This is even the further depths of satan's scholastic tree teachings.  So, today, is it little wonder that the so-called Emerging church is teaching that all men REGARDLESS are actually gods themselves as part of a univeral "god-force" in all things of his universe.  But they cannot coherently explain who this god is, because he/she is so ill defined, except as a universal force within all objects.  Amazing godless totally satanic blindness NOW IN THE FEW REMAINING YEARS OF THIS AGE.

Also the scriptures teach that:
Our adoption (5206, huiothesia, "adoption," son-positioning) is at the moment of New-birth-from above into the Spiritual nature of God Himself.
Rom 8:13-17
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together.

By adoption God put His nature Attributes of Holy Spirit into our hearts, making us sons of God by His own indwelling nature, here on earth.
Gal 4:5-7
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of Sons.
And because ye are Sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a Son; and if a Son, then an heir of God through Christ.

By our Spiritual adoption, having obtained the first fruits of the Spirit, we groin for the restoration of our bodies to complete our Eternal Perfected Nature as SONS in God's Presence.
Rom 8:21-23
Because the creature (2937, ktisis, "creation") itself also shall be delivered from the bondage (1397, doulea, "bondage to evil") of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption (5206), to wit, the redemption (629, apolutrosis, "restoration") of our body.

A God of such Attributes, particularly Truth serving Holiness, cannot play "as if" games, as the scholars of false Calvinist and Dispensational theologies pretend.  Saying we need have no fellowship with God on earth, while we play in sin on earth, but still retain a relationship to Him in Heaven by legal bookkeeping.  Godless, damnable teachings; denying our Lord's purpose in His Restoration work for us entirely.

This is totally demonic, and an insult to our Creator Lord Jesus, whom they say makes this blind monkey game possible.  So God is like a bestial monkey holding His hands over His eyes to not see our sins hid in His Holy Son of Truth, as He sits in Holy Heaven.  This is blasphemy of total spiritual blindness of satan from today's seats of learning the very false teachings of men, as our Lord warned us about.  Pharisees all.

REJECTION OF ALL SIN AND EVIL only by HIS INDWELLING ATTRIBUTES
A God of Attributes cannot have any relationship to anything apart from His Attributes.  This is clear from the very third chapter of Genesis, and the entire Restoration story of man with God in the rest of the scriptures.   There is no indication whatsoever that man can have a relationship to a God of Attributes without a true fellowship with Him in those Attributes.  This is what Christ's salvation, Restoration Atonement offer to man, is all about. 

As the Bible teaches, salvation of man, the Restoration of man by our Lord's incarnation and death, was to Justly count His removal of our sinful flesh nature to His grave, and by resurrection to then Justly restore Man with His indwelling Holy Spirit Attributes in cleansed vessels to a True fellowship to Him, made possible by the Attributes of God, the Mind of Christ Himself, operating within man on this earth therafter.   Eternal Life is NOW real to us, in our NOW Living on earth!!  Our pledged obedience from the beginning, continuous repenting then committing, is required, as the Entire Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation.

This is no monkey game with God holding His hands over His eyes, saying, "Our sins are hid in Christ."   This is open blasphemy and unscriptural.  Our Life (Christ indwelling in our spirits), with our flesh natures to the grave by Christ's death in our behalf, provides the means to us to "set our affections on things above, not things on the earth, for ye are dead, and your Life is hid with Christ in God" (Col 3:2-3).  

Our LIFE is hid with Christ in God, NOT our sins are hid in Christ !!     And it is Christ's Life indwelling in us, not sin by any manner should be allowed.  Christ came to save us FROM sin (Matt 1:21).  He accomplished this provision in His death and Resurrection.  This is the gospel, the good news, of His Love toward us while yet sinners.  Our response to this gospel is our consciously turning from ourselves, repentance and committing our total Living, to our Loving yet Holy Lord forever.

Col 3:2-10
Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth
For ye are dead, and your Life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our Life (Deut 30:20), shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in Glory (Spiritual Perfection).
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry
For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
And have put on the New Man, which is renewed in (eis, for the result of) knowledge (epignosis, full knowledge) after (kata, according to) the image of Him that created him.

Fortunately, yet today, a few outward "old-time" (not totally blind modernists) Calvinist preachings may still be that the sinner must repent and believe (commit) to the Lordship of Christ and live a Holy life till the end to go to Heaven.  It is by these that we had the revivals in the 1800's, but since Dispensationalism in 1900's we have had no great revivals of saving souls.

This old-time Calvinist preaching, any "honest" Dispensational "grace" regardless refuses to preach to the lost in actual fact.  They deny that repentance, Lordship, and any moral living or any commitment of any kind is necessary for salvation.  Just a one-time mental notation of believe or trust, which they say is faith given to all at their human birth, is all that is required toward a Savior only, for unconditional eternal Heaven. 

This Laodicean Dispensationalism is worse than even any old-time Calvinist could ever imagine.  No wonder we have the society and churches we do, with this Dispensationalism preached in this USA for the past 100 years.   Most all Denominations are overtaken in these totally EVIL Dispensational teachings, the teachings starting the beginning of the Laodicean Last Seventh church of Rev 2and 3.

This true Restoration of us to God in Truth and Holiness is God's Method, called the "grace" of God.   His Grace is  =  "Christ within you, through your obedience, doing what you cannot do."   "Ye must be born-from-above."     This "grace" brings an indwelling fellowship of Attributes, Restored by Christ's death in sinless flesh, to remove our sinful flesh natures, to then Justly indwell us with His Living Attributes.     Through the indwelling Christ (called faith) within you, after the new birth of Restoration provided by Christ, the new born is required to be obedient to his newly gained faith (Christ in you) which assures, teaches, guides, gifts, reveals, and empowers us to God-good works (Eph 2:8-10).

Now, after this born-again Restoration, just like Adam from the beginning, "You still have a right to choose between obedience or disobedience.  Which will it be?  Continued Holiness of Attributes now with Me in you, or separation from Me, our Christ the last Adam asks?"   In His LOVE He cannot compel anyone.  Obedience or disobedience again?

In theory, over the door to Heaven, the celestial city,  might be a sign.  It says:
"Obedience Required.
  We are being saved by Grace through Faith, not of yourselves...in the way of God-Good Works by God, which God before prepared that you should walk in them (Eph 2:8-10)."

And importantly, remember, this new birth of indwelling Attributes of Mind of Christ in our spirit, is made possible ONLY after we are continuously repenting (rejecting self) and are continuously committing (putting ourselves under the orders of another) our whole beings to serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, in obedience to His Holiness Forever.  Our last Adam, Jesus Christ in us, restores us to a Fellowship Relationship with our Father, but our intrinsic Eternal Life is not yet ours until we are over-comers through required obedience throughout our Lives on earth to our Lord, in His Love, Truth, Holiness, and Wisdom, as it will be throughout Eternity.   Hereby, also the satan and all rebellions in Heaven by all Spirit Beings in Heaven, will be proven and seen as damnable insanity forever.  To the praise and Glory (Spiritual Perfection) of our Creator God Forever.   Amen.  ]]]]

A prime teaching of this Reformed church is that there will be no rapture of the saints, to let the rest of the remaining world suffer the Wrath of God, since they teach, as the Catholic, Thyatira, church also teaches, that the Wrath of God ended in 70 AD when God's wrath upon the destruction of Jewish monarchy and Jerusalem completely ended their Theocracy (monarchy), and this started the Gentile Age on earth..  Sardis also  (7) Denies that the Wrath of God is coming.   Perhaps, this also is why our Lord told them, "Repent.  If, therefore, you shall not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon you."  The great earthquake there in 17 AD ruined Sardis physically and financially.  The Romans contributed 10 million sesterces in relief, and indication of its ruin, but the city never recovered.  Happen stance, or an example given to us (1 Cor 10:11)?

It is interesting that neither Sardis (the Calvinist church),  nor also Laodicean (the totally apostate pagan church), the last church in time, were the only churches that received NO COMMENDATION from our Lord, NOT EVEN TO INDIVIDUALS IN THEM.  This warrants our serious consideration.  Even the churches of Pergamus and Thyatira, as despicable as they are, certain particular individuals who didn't partake of their doctrines and practices, received a commendation from our Lord.   [[ This implies that those who preached and lived the doctrines and practices of Calvinism and Apostasy receive no commendation at all.  But through the Holy Spirit men can be saved in whatever time. ]] This should SHAKE AND STARTLE us to look at these churches, these 3 churches of these last days, Thyatira, and Sardis and Laodicea carefully in our day of their continued existence to the end of the Age resulting in total evil and total apostasy.  Living and practicing their doctrine and practices is DEADLY.

The next church came into being even in the face of all the doctrinal denials by the Sardis church, which also forcefully (8) Denies (eighth denial of scriptural doctrine), that sending missionaries to foreign lands was necessary. [[ Eight is the numeric scripture number of something NEW, a dead church from its beginning in Sardis.. ]].  William Carey (1761-1834), when he first suggested taking the gospel to foreign heathen and pagans, was greatly put down for such an absurd suggestion, to the effect, that if God wishes the heathen to be saved He will do it Himself by His Election of them (Calvinist doctrine).

And last, and perhaps most damaging to the sacred Blood-bought Living Assembly of God upon the earth and even the necessary servanthood of every repenting and committing one in our Lord's Assembly of Born-from-above ones, is Nicolaitanism,  which God twice in Rev 2  says that He hates.  This rejection of Nicolaitanism was greatly taught by Peter, Paul and his coworkers, and scrupulously followed by all the Apostles, as their Lord taught them. 

However, this "lording over the people," of Nicotaitanism was forcefully practiced by Constantine (313 AD ff.), very forcefully taught by Augustine (400 AD), and extremely adopted by the Roman Catholics in Thyatira church, Lutherans and Calvinists in the Sardis church,  and the Dispensationalists in the Laodiceans' church.  They all insist that there is a hierarchy of certain very advanced saints in the Assembly who are to rule over them as lords of the Assembly and enforce their authority over their brethern, even by force if necessary.  This (9) Denies (the Biblical number of Judgment) the equal priesthood of everyone in the Assembly of Born-from-above ones, who should equally share their Lords insights given to them, selflessly Loving one another, all ONLY under their Lord God Himself.  This Nicolaitanism is a necessary denial of even Christ's several examples to His Apostles, especially of washing their feet as a humble slave to each of His disciples before His crucifixion saying:

John 13:12-17
Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.
16 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than He that sent him.
17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

Sixth   Philadelphia  The missionary church. (arising in 1760's to 1960's and only straggles till fully extinguished)  The church in Philadelphia is a humble but faithful church, content to exemplify the Life of Jesus in the midst of a pagan and corrupt society.  The name Philadelphia means, brotherly love.  They were lovers of God's Word and content on keeping it in their personal Living.  They were greatly beloved of the Lord.  He spoke not a word of reproof to them, as also he refrained concerning the suffering church in Sardis.  Many sacrificed their lives for their Lord's purposes in both these churches; the Smyra church being persecuted severely by the pagan Roman Emperors, and the Philadelphians selflessly going into foreign primitive pagan lands to give them the God-good news, Gospel, of their gracious Creator and Lord.  These were killed and slaughtered by the thousands, even today a relative few yet, for their sacrificial obedience to their personal callings to do so as witnesses to foreign primitive natives in His great commission to His church (Matt 28:18-20).   God bless them all.   The world is not worthy of them.

Philadelphia was a Lydian city founded by Attalus II Philadelphus (159-138 BC).  The city was an outpost of Hellenism in Anatolia.  It lies on a broad, low, easily defended hill, which explains why Philadelphia was the last city of Asia Minor to fall to the  Moslem Turks in 1390 AD.  Interestingly, the city was built on top of a disastrously great seismic fault, (pardon the pun) and the city in 17 AD by that which also hit Sardis ruined Philadelphia completely, with recurrent quakes after the disaster of 17 AD for the next 20 years.

This Philadelphia church period, following the continued prominence of the Thyratira and Sardis churches, is the last time this world will have or allow any missionaries anywhere.  All nations are turning against the faithful Christians and Christianity.  Those who profess Christianity today are joining the Emerging church by the millions.  It will be soon too late for any man to work, as our Lord said (John 9:4).

To this Church of Philadelphia, without any condemnation from our Lord, Who said, "Because thou hast kept the Word of my patience, I also will keep thee from (ek, out from within) the hour of trial, which shall come upon all the world , to test them" (Rev 3:10).   We believe the hour of trial is speaking of the Great Tribulation (Matt 24:21; Rev 7:14) of the antichrist (starting in the middle of the last 7 years of this Age) during which our Lord will return(Matt 24:29-31; 2 Thess 2:1-4) for Rapturing His remaining few saints on earth after about 1 year of it, or they would all be killed (Matt 24:21-22). This Great Tribulation upon the Christians by antichrist ends in the second return of Christ for His Saints (Rapture) will be Immediately followed by the Wrath of God Vengence (Rev 6:17) upon all the remaining evil unsaved unrepentant world of the antichrist for nearly 2 years, taking back His earth from the evil usurpers of the satan's world, till His appearance at Bozrah and Armageddon to institutute His Millennial Kingdom rule over all the earth.

Seventh church   Laodiceans  The totally blinded and worldly lost church, calling itself Christian.  Remember Apostasy is any teaching that results in a persons damnation to hell.   Notice, unlike all the previous six churches named, this last church is composed of multiples of distinctive group members, being Laodiceans, instead of Laodicia, as all the others singularly named.  Provacative!  This church is characterized by Dispensationalism in the beginning (1830 to date, which has totally redefined and apostasized every doctrinal word in the Pure Scriptures, even who God is),  even teaching that a person doesn't have to be good to go to Heaven (just believe and trust in Jesus, as any other pagan religion believes and trusts in their god), and the now recent but immensely spreading world-wide Emerging church (starting about 1990 to date, from Rick Warren and a multitude of teachers and preachers, ushering in the soon antichrist in the end, eagerly anticipated by all satanists today.  The Emerging church teaches that God is a God of forces, inhabiting all things like trees and plants and all men, and if prayed to would give to you personal unseen spirit guides to spiritually teach you all things needed.  God is just known as a God of forces and Biblical doctrines and teachings are to be disregarded.  This is the final satanic need to control this world of satan.  In the Book of Daniel we are told the coming antichrist worships a God of forces.

And the Emerging church is including all pagan religions around the world.   Severe persecution of ALL world-wide true Christians will soon begin also, which is being openly taught, starting openly in 2008 at a Democratic presidential caucas and even from 1995, by the Emerging church today.

It now promotes what they call Contemplative Prayer or by another name, Spiritual formation,  is using Eastern meditative practices much like Yoga, or Hindu meditation, or Buddhist meditation, all being deliberately blanking your mind until your spirit guide (demons, of course) speak to you .  The former President (Chuck Swindoll) and preacher of Dallas Theological Seminary (formal institution of Dispensationalism since 1920-24 to present date), now supports this Emerging church, saying that this meditative practice is the best way to experience God.  

Even the word Christian is being redefined totally now to be a totally blind (no Spiritual understanding about anything) person that is simply professing Christ to be on a level with every other pagan deity.  This church is now promoting a god-of-forces, with each person having faith by birth, and being a possessor of the god-forces within himself as a god himself of the universal god-force, also filling all trees and insects, and whatever.  And this god, of course, is transcendent over the cosmos and present in all objects.    And this Emergent church teaches that soon a universal brotherhood of all mankind is to be achieved, after all so-called Fundamental Christians are killed, to allow all this to occur.  All Christian doctrines, all prophecies, and all holding to scriptures are to be eliminated to bring in this growing church of universal brotherhood of universal peace among all peoples.

We are being globalized by satan into a "c"hristian world wide paganism, serving themselves in the name of their preferred idols.  And, of course, their preferred idols will be themselves as gods. (the satan's second and final lie, in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3).  They say, "God doesn't care what religion you are, just add Jesus to what you already have.  The greatest enemy to this movement of Jesus Christ is Christianity."

The late Alice Bailey (1880-1949), the leading theosophist (satanist) of her day, who coined the term New Age, said "that the age of enlightenment (when everyone realizes they have divinity and are united with each other and creation) will not come to the earth around the Christian church but rather through it."

To the Laodicean church, the church in which we now live, our Lord says (Rev 3:15-17):

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.  So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."