This message extends from Revelation 3:7-13 where Christ speaks to the Philadelphia church through His beloved friend, John. Jesus said, “I know what you do. I have put before you an open door that no one can close. I know you are weak, but you have followed my teaching. You were not afraid to speak my name. Listen! There is a group that belongs to Satan. They say they are Jews, but they are liars. They are not true Jews. I will make them come before you and bow at your feet. They will know that you are the people I have loved.” Revelation 3:7-9 What do you think he means? Who is this group that called themselves true Jews but are really spawns of Satan? Who is this group who call themselves true Jews that will bow before the church of Philadelphia? What do you think Jesus meant? Well, when Jesus was alive (at least in physical form) Jesus told John, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 So in my mind, a true Jew is not one of ancestry, a true Jew is a person who is strong in faith in God. A true Jew is only saved by the blood of Christ. The angel of death only passes over the blood of the true Passover Lamb. For a Jew to be saved, they must come to the Father through faith in Jesus Christ. His blood covers all who have been and all who will be strong in their faith. I do not believe physical ancestry guarantees a spiritual conversion. I believe a child of God is anyone who believes in Jesus Christ. I believe in what the whole scripture says. I believe every person, Jew or Gentile, has the same potential to be conceived by the Holy Spirit - which can only be attained by having faith in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said, “A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code.” Romans 2:28-29 Being of Jewish descent does not make heaven one’s home. Being physically circumcised does not guarantee a place in the kingdom of God. Kingdom citizenship only comes from the grace of God, through faith alone in Jesus Christ, the Promised Seed of God. Jesus said to the church in Philadelphia, “You followed my command to endure patiently. So I will keep you from the time of trouble that will come to the world - a time that will test everyone living on earth." Does this mean the church of Philadelphia will rise up before the great and terrible Day of the Lord? Jesus said, "I am coming soon. Hold on to the faith you have, so that no one can take away your crown." Does this mean that our faith can wane and we can lose our salvation; or does it mean we can lose our power in God? Once saved, always saved is quite questionable. The real question is, Did they really love God at all? James said, "My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins." James 5:19-20 Paul said, "See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end." Hebrews 3:12-14 Jesus said, "Those who win the victory will be pillars in the temple of my God. I will make that happen for them. They will never again have to leave God’s temple. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God. That city is the new Jerusalem. It is coming down out of heaven from my God. I will also write my new name on them. Everyone who hears this should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.” Revelation 3:7-13 In the end, the mind and the heart make up a person’s ground; It is either fertile and open to God’s love, or it is hardened and totally overgrown. “So faith comes from hearing the Good News. And people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ.” Romans 10:17 You have been told.
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