MEANING OF THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN REVELATION PART THREE

Posted on by

The last post: Meaning of the Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation Part 2 ( December 17th, 2024) covered the second church, the Church of Smyrna. The third church is the church of Pergamum.

In Revelation 2:12, we read about one of the seven churches, “the church in Pergamum …where Satan’s throne is.” The ancient city of Pergamum with the altar of Zeus, was the center of pagan worship in Asia Minor. Of significance, the altar was excavated and taken stone by stone to Berlin where it was reassembled in its own museum.

Albert Speer, was commissioned by the new chancellor, Adolf Hitler, to design the parade grounds for the party rallies in Nuremberg. Speer turned to the Pergamon Altar for inspiration. Using the altar as a model, Speer created a colossal grandstand, known as the Zeppelin tribune. In the following years’ mass rallies were held there. From the altar’s podium, Hitler mesmerized the crowds as they swore a “holy oath” to Germany. It was also in Nuremberg that Hitler used the phrase Final Solution for the first time in public. Hitler’s Final Solution is known as the Holocaust, a word that comes from a Greek word meaning “a wholly burnt animal sacrifice.” On the ancient Altar of Zeus in Pergamom, burnt sacrifice was practiced. Centuries later in Germany’s Nuremberg, in the redesigned Pergamon Altar, Hitler announced his Final Solution to the world and this time, the burnt sacrifice was six million Jews.

Since the 1990s, Turkey has been conducting an intensive diplomatic effort for the return of the altar, which belongs to the Anatolian territory. Recently, Berlin’s official in charge of anti-discrimination efforts, Saraya Gomis, has suggested the return of the Pergamon Altar to Türkiye. Could it play a role in the Antichrist’s rule?

The Third Year of the 70th Week will begin the improper, seemingly-forced “marriage” of many churchgoers to the Antichrist. As food becomes scarce, many will take the Mark of the Beast and suffer eternal condemnation, rather than trust God, because the threat of starvation will surround them.

One meaning for the name Pergamum: “all-surrounding marriage” (Gk: PERI meaning “around or all-surrounding” and GAMOS meaning marriage). This will be the situation facing Christians in the third year being forced to take the mark of the Beast.

ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS: In the Letter to Pergamum, Jesus is described this way, “The One who has the sharp two-edged sword says this“. In the Second Year, the rider of the Red Horse is given a “great sword.” In the Third Year, Jesus counters with his two edged sword.

“Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12-13

Most people who have been around the church for a while know the verse which refers to the two-edged sword. Most don’t know the context. As the passage progresses, it says that we are to be diligent to enter that rest. There is a risk of falling away if we follow the example of disobedience the Jews charted after Joshua’s day. It is into this context that God’s Word is compared to a two-edged sword. It seems this verse is the reference Jesus wants us to consider in the Letter to the church of Pergamum, in the third year of tribulation.

He wants His Word to lay our intentions bare when faced with the choice of taking the Mark of the Beast. He does not want us to enter into an “improper marriage.” Ultimately, it is this sword that comes out of Jesus’s mouth (the Word of God), which will strike down the nations:

“From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.” Revelation 19:15

Jesus also wants us to remember that Satan may appear to be winning, but He alone will ultimately triumph. The Mark of the Beast may provide a few morsels of food, but little else in this life, but eternal condemnation by God at the second resurrection. It can’t be emphasized enough, NEVER take the Mark of the Beast.

CONDITION OF THE CHURCH OF PERGAMUM: We can see from what Jesus writes to the Church of Pergamum that the persecutions have already begun in the Third Year:

“I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast my name, and did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas, my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells.” Revelation 2:13

Around the time that Revelation was recorded by John, Antipas, the Bishop of Pergamum, was martyred. This cemented the satanic reputation of the city and some accounts have it, that he was killed on the altar of Zeus.

In year two of the 70th Week (the Letter to Smyrna), we saw that imprisonment of Christians would begin that year and that the imprisonments would eventually lead to death. Now in Year Three we see that martyrdom has begun. The name “Antipas” means “in place of all.” His martyrdom is a symbol of what is to come.

In the Letter to Pergamum, Jesus is also telling us that he sympathizes with us. He knows the tribulation Christians will be facing in those days, and he is pleased with the faith of those who stand fast. In the next verses, he also reveals that this is the time when some churchgoers, faced with the choice of taking the Mark of the Beast, will commit apostasy. He also shows that for some who have not taken the Mark, there is still time to repent:

“There some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Therefore repent.” Revelation 2:14-16

Notice that Jesus uses names we have seen earlier: Balaam and the Nicolaitans. Balaam is a foreshadow of the False Prophet and the Nicolaitans are a symbolic word for followers of the Antichrist (Muslims). The sins that are listed: eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality, are indicative of the Third Year.

This verse is talking about food, but the sacrifice isn’t the sacrifice of bulls and goats, rather it is the sacrifice of churchgoers’ souls to Satan. By taking the Mark of the Beast these churchgoers will be allowed to buy and sell, and thus eat. They will lose their salvation, however—-a terrible deal. This is especially true given the promise Jesus gives at the end of the Letter to Pergamum: To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna. Obviously, this speaks of some kind of provision: spiritual, physical, or both.

THE WHITE STONE: The symbol of a white stone at the end of the Letter to Pergamum has baffled commentators. The one I like best makes complete sense and is the only one that is directly connected to Pergamum. Ray Vander Laan of That The World May Know video series has shown that white stones with names on them still line the Sacred Way in Pergamum, a mile long road leading to the shrine of Asclepius, the god of healing. After a person was supposedly healed by this god, they inscribed their name on one of these stones. In my opinion, Jesus is saying that there will be a sacred way in the Kingdom lined with white stones of those He eternally heals. The aspect of a “new name” is intriguing. God gave Abram a new name: Abraham. He renamed Sarai: Sarah. He renamed a man named Hosea and called him Joshua. In Isaiah 62:2 he tells the city of Jerusalem that he will rename it. In Revelation 19:12 we learn Jesus has a name written on him that no one else knows. This last example is almost a direct quote from Revelation 2:17. When God changes someone, he renames him. I think these names inscribed on the white stones will be our new names, our new names that announce Jesus’s victory.

In the next post, we will look at the church of Thyatira, the fifth church, in the fifth year of Daniel’s 70th week. Related to the fourth letter, the Letter to Thyatira, commentators are uncertain as to the meaning of the name Thyatira. Some have proposed that it is a Turkish word, not Greek. The Turkish equivalent of “Thyatira” means “graveyard on a hill.” If this is the correct meaning, it fits perfectly with the Fourth Year of the 70th Week of Daniel—-the year the Green Horse rides, signifying death.

It is fascinating that the colours of the horses of the apocalypse are WHITE, BLACK, RED, and GREEN. It is no coincidence that the following Muslim countries flags are those colours: Palestine, Syria, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Libya, Sudan, Western Sahara, Jordan, and Afghanistan. Iran has three of the colours, white, red, and green. Turkey has two of the colours, white and red.

CHRISTIAN MINISTER, REALTOR FOUND GUILTY OF ‘HATE SPEECH’ FOR POSTING BIBLE VERSES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Posted on by

A Virginia realtor and Christian minister has been found guilty by an ethics panel after he quoted Bible verses on social media. 

Wilson Fauber, 70, a longtime realtor with over four decades in the industry, was found in violation of National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Code of Ethics, which prohibits realtors from using “harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs” related to “race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The posts in question, which were made years before the NAR’s adoption of the rule in 2020, included Fauber’s views on marriage and human sexuality according to traditional Christian teachings, attorneys said.

In a statement released Thursday through his attorneys at the Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC), Fauber said: “In 44 years as a realtor, I have loved and served all people. Regularly, I hear from other faith-based realtors that live in fear of being similarly prosecuted for their faith, and potentially losing their livelihoods, if they don’t hide their faith well enough.” 

The posts, which Fauber shared as part of his personal ministry, went unnoticed until two fellow realtors, who Fauber had never met, filed formal ethics complaints against him. The complaints alleged that his posts violated NAR’s vague “hate speech” rule. The VAR panel determined that Fauber’s views on marriage and sexuality, expressed through Bible verses and Christian doctrine, violated NAR’s Standard of Practice 10-5.

One of the two men who filed the original complaint with the VAR is reportedly an “openly gay man.” Complainants are not typically identified publicly in real estate ethics complaints.

Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation, of which FFLC is a part, called the decision “nothing short of anti-Christian bigotry in the real estate profession,” adding, “Wilson’s punishment will have the effect of chilling the religious speech of over 1.5 million other realtors in the U.S.”

The good news is that this persecution is exactly what Jesus said we can expect before His second coming. This warning from Jesus indicates worse persecution is to come. so we cannot say we have not been warned.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

END OF YEAR PROPHETIC ROUND-UP 2024

Posted on by

Jonathan Cahn reviews the key prophetic events and mysteries of 2024 as we head into the next.

Apostasy in the church is a major Biblical end-times prophecy. Jonathan shows us that the Pope has led the way with apostasy and that most institutional/denominational churches have also fallen away from Biblical truth. Could the Pope be the Biblical False Prophet? More recently, the pope’s decision to have a special pilgrimage for the LGBT community in the 2025 Jubilee Year, titled “Church: Home for All, LGBT+ Christians and Other Existential Frontiers” proves he has departed from Biblical faith and is leading the Catholic church into apostasy. What he is proposing will involve a prayer vigil for LGBT Catholics on September 5th, 2025 at the Church of the Gesù in Rome. They will then pass through the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s on September 6th.

The world cannot see it but the choice is clear. It is repent or perish, revival or ruin, Christ or chaos.

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS AT RECORD LEVELS

Posted on by

Members of religious groups faced harassment by either governmental actors or social groups in a record number of countries and territories as a new Pew Research Center analysis finds acts of hostility against Christians are on the rise. 

The release of Pew’s report, “Government Restrictions on Religion Stayed at Peak Levels Globally in 2022,” marks the 15th time it has conducted research examining government restrictions and social hostilities toward religion in 198 countries and territories. Imagine what a 2024 report will show as persecution has escalated in 2023 and 2024. Significant other Biblical end-times prophecies have already been fulfilled particularly the re-establishment of Israel as a nation back in 1948 and now the falling away from Biblical faith by most of the institutional churches (apostasy).

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13

The research revealed that in 2022, “harassment of religious groups by governments or social actors occurred in 192 out of the world’s 198 countries and territories.” This constituted “an increase by two countries from 2021 and a new peak level for the study.”

“Governments harassed people for their religious beliefs and practices in 186 countries in 2022, up from 183 in 2021,” the report states. “Social groups or private individuals harassed people due to their religion in 164 countries, the same number as in 2021. Governments and/or social actors harassed religious groups in 192 countries, including 158 countries where both governments and social groups or private individuals engaged in harassment.”

As has been the case in every installment of the study, Christians experienced harassment in most countries, reaching a record high of 166 in 2022. 

One example cited in the report was the arrest of a man whose son brought Bibles and other Christian literature across the border into Mauritania from Senegal.

Another example is a Syriac Catholic Church leader in Bartella, a historically Christian town in Nineva province rebuilding after the defeat of the Islamic State, who said militias “sought to ‘seize and occupy Christian properties’ in an attempt to drive out Christians and alter the religious composition of the town.”

The study identified property damage, assaults, detentions, displacements and killings as examples of physical harassment experienced by religious groups. It highlighted how at least one instance of physical harassment toward a religious group occurred in 145 of 198 countries, marking an increase from the 137 measured in 2021.

Governments used physical force against religious groups in 111 countries, while social groups or private individuals were determined to have engaged in such harassment in the same number of countries.

The most frequent form of physical harassment directed at religious groups was property damage, occurring in 61% of countries. Detentions occurred in slightly less than half (47%) of countries, while the share of countries where physical assaults, displacements and killings occurred were measured at 45%, 26% and 25%, respectively.

According to a detailed appendix accompanying the report, the only countries where absolutely no harassment of religious groups occurred at the hands of the government in 2022 were Cape Verde, Fiji, Grenada, Macao, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Portugal, San Marino, Senegal and Suriname. The United States was listed as one of 110 countries where there was widespread intimidation of religious groups “by any level of government.”

Religious groups in the U.S. found themselves subject to property damage and physical assaults, while no displacements, killings or detentions were recorded. Another adverse experience faced by religious groups in the U.S. involves organized groups using “force or coercion in an attempt to dominate public life with their perspective on religion, including preventing some religious groups from operating in the country.”

PROOF WE ARE IN THE PROPHESIED END TIMES

Posted on by

The pope’s decision to have a special pilgrimage for the LGBT community in the 2025 Jubilee Year, titled “Church: Home for All, LGBT+ Christians and Other Existential Frontiers” is evidence he has departed from Biblical faith and is leading the Catholic church into apostasy. What he is proposing will involve a prayer vigil for LGBT Catholics on September 5th at the Church of the Gesù in Rome. They will then pass through the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s on September 6th.

Here we have the Church allowing the categories that are at odds with Catholic teaching on sexuality and the human body — to drive the 2025 Jubilee celebration. However well-intentioned the pastoral motivation may be, the impression is one of either ignorance or contempt not merely for traditional Catholicism in particular but for orthodox Christianity in general.

Before Jesus’ second coming, He prophesied that most of the institutional denominations would fall away and compromise with the world. They have departed from God’s ways on homosexuality, gay marriage, and transgender issues. We are truly in the Biblical prophesied end times and as the following Scripture reveals persecution/tribulation will only intensify for Christians.

“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:9-14

God will purify His church prior to the rapture. We cannot say we were not warned.

GOOD NEWS: PUBERTY BLOCKERS BANNED INDEFINITELY BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT

Posted on by

The British government indefinitely banned puberty blockers as a treatment for minors with gender dysphoria on Wednesday. After embracing gender transition procedures for minors before the U.S., European countries like the U.K. are now reversing course as evidence of the harm they could cause has mounted. “We need to act with caution and care when it comes to this vulnerable group of young people, and follow the expert advice,” declared Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

The U.K. temporarily paused puberty blockers for children in March 2023, following the release of the Cass report, a credible, detailed examination that found insufficient evidence that gender transition procedures were safe for children. The Commission on Human Medicines, an independent organization of the British government, also recently found “an unacceptable safety risk in the continued prescription of puberty blockers to children.”

The government, then controlled by the Conservative Party, further restricted access to puberty blockers with an emergency ban passed in June. The high court upheld that ban as lawful in July. In August, after an electoral victory, the left-leaning Labour Party extended the emergency ban in August. This move invested both of the U.K.’s major political parties in the newly cautious approach toward gender transition procedures for minors.

On Wednesday, the Labour government announced new legislation that would make the ban indefinite, to be reviewed in 2027. The ban would also take effect in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

MINOR PROPHETS ON THE END TIMES

Posted on by

Prophecy Roundtable with Doug Hamp and special guest Shelley Neese. I did not consider the minor prophets relevant apart from Joel and perhaps Micah, to end-times prophecies but that is not the case as you will see from this video. I often watch Doug Hamp, particularly for his insight into the Nephilim, and can recommend his series of books on Corrupting the Image: 1. Angels, Aliens and the Antichrist Revealed, 2. Hybrids, Hade and the Mt Hermon Connection, 3. Singularity, Superhumans, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

JONATHAN CAHN SHOWS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BIBLICAL PROPHECIES AND MODERN DAY EVENTS

Posted on by

Another relevant sermon from Jonathan Cahn. God has uniquely graced Jonathan to draw connections between ancient Biblical prophecies and modern-day occurrences, particularly in global political shifts, religious movements, and the rise of anti-Judeo-Christian sentiment. Through a blend of biblical insights, historical references, and personal stories, he urges us to remain vigilant in our faith as end-time events unfold.

PURPOSE OF THE SEVEN LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES IN REVELATION

Posted on by

The Seven Letters are addressed to the seven churches of Revelation, and in fact, all of the Book of Revelation is addressed to them as well: “I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: ‘Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches.

Jesus’s Letters to the Seven Churches in Revelation are his love letters to us, his bride. These letters are the only prophecies written specifically for the Church that will endure the 70th Week of Daniel; hence, they are key to our understanding of how the Church should prepare for events in the 70th Week. As such, they are of great value because they instruct us on overcoming during this period.

It is our thesis that each of the Seven Churches represents the Church in one of the seven years of that period. The first letter is to the Church during the First Year of the 70th Week of Daniel, the second letter is to the Church during the Second Year, etc. Scripture provides multiple other “pictures” of these seven years, particularly the seven seals and Jesus Olivet Discourse. Studying these other scriptures provides a stunningly consistent Pattern of Seven Events:

[ 1) Deception by False Messiahs,

2) War and Bloodshed,

3) Famine,

4) Abomination of Desolation,

5) Martyrdom and Apostasy,

6) Celestial/Earthly Disturbance and Rapture,

7) Wrath of God/Day of the Lord.

In the next post, we will look at the detail in each of the seven letters to the churches. Much of the information in this post is taken from Nelson Walters book Revelation Deciphered.

END TIMES BIBLICAL PROPHESIED WAR IN DANIEL 8 IS IMMINENT

Posted on by

The stage is being set for the prophesied end-times war in Daniel 8 when the Goat (Sunni Turkey) overcomes the Ram (Shia Iran). What we see unfolding fits with end-times Biblical prophecy that prophecies a major battle between Sunni Turkey and Shia Iran with Turkey winning a decisive battle and re-establishing its dominance in the Muslim world.

Assad’s downfall marks a new realignment in the Middle East. The outcome of this tectonic shift is bound to have a profound impact on the Middle East and the global balance of power.

“We see a huge change in the region. Turkey has become stronger, Russia has become weaker, Iran has become weak,” said Badr Jamous, a leading anti-Assad opposition politician. “But it is the Syrians that will play a big role now, not like before. All will have to listen to our voice and to our decisions.”

Iran, whose embassy in Damascus was looted immediately after the rebel takeover, has lost its major ally in the “axis of resistance” and the vital land connection to its Hezbollah proxy militia in Lebanon.

Turkey is on the ascendant. With Assad gone, Ankara will clearly exert much greater authority over its southern neighbor, and the entire Levant, a boost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman aspirations.

Turkey openly supports the Syrian National Army militia, which has focused its energy mostly on battles with Syrian Kurds in recent weeks, with clashes continuing Sunday. Turkey has also provided tacit backing to the most formidable Syrian rebel force, Sunni Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS.

Shia Iran (Ram) through its proxies has tried to be the dominant Muslim force in the Middle East “charging westward and northward, and southward” but the much stronger Sunni Turkey (Goat) will not allow that to happen.

“I was in Susa the citadel, which is in the province of Elam (in Iran) And I saw in the vision, and I was at the Ulai canal. I raised my eyes and saw, and behold, a ram (Iran) standing on the bank of the canal… I saw the ram charging westward and northward and southward. No beast could stand before him, and there was no one who could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great.” Daniel 8:2-3, 4

“As I was considering, behold, a male goat (Turkey) came from the west across the face of the whole earth, without touching the ground… He came to the ram (Iran) with the two horns, which I had seen standing on the bank of the canal, and he ran at him in his powerful wrath… And the ram had no power to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled on him.” Daniel 8:5-7

Turkey seeks to re-establish its Ottoman Empire and for a short time it will be successful but then the prophecy reveals it will be broken up into four probably by the United Nations. They will not countenance another Ottoman Empire attempting to dominate the world.

“Then the goat (Turkey) became exceedingly great, but when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and instead of it there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
Out of one of them came a little horn (Antichrist), which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven.” Daniel 8:8-9

It is out of one of these four Muslim nations that the Antichrist arises.