MEANING OF THE LETTER TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION PART SIX

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The sixth church in the sixth year of Daniel’s 70th week is the Church of Philadelphia. The city’s name is derived from the Greek PHILADELPOS, meaning “love for a family member” or “love for a brother.” But what does it say about conditions in the Church of the same name during the Sixth Year of the 70th Week? What remains of the faithful Church will be bound in brotherly love by the persecution of earth-shaking proportions.

The Fifth Year of the 70th Week, which I covered in my last post about the Church of Sardis, is the year of the Great Falling Away. Massive numbers of nominal churchgoers will turn away from the faith when faced with persecution. They will bow to the Beast, his name, and take his number (the Mark of the Beast, likened to 666). The hour of testing the saints will be guarded from is the Wrath of God that occurs during the Seventh Year of the 70th Week.

These Christians will be living on the run, or they will go “underground,” totally weaned from the world economic system. Life in the Sixth Year of the 70th Week will be much like the First Century Church described in Acts; they’ll have all-things in common. Most will have lost family members, either to apostasy or martyrdom. They truly will be one family, the Family of God.

ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS IN THE LETTER TO PHILADELPHIA: In this Letter to Philadelphia, Jesus is described by the following attributes: “He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this.” Revelation 3:7.

The first attribute about Jesus noted is that he is Holy. At the end of the Sixth Year of the 70th Week, Jesus is coming to separate the elect from this world by means of the Rapture. Then they will be “like him.”

The second attribute is that Jesus is true. In the Letter to Philadelphia, truth is contrasted with “lying.” Jesus is true, those of the synagogue of Satan are liars (Rev. 3:9, 1 John 2:22). Jesus is the true light (John 1:9), the true vine (John 15:1), the true Bread (John 6:32), and the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). This attribute being “true” is critical. Those in the Sixth Year of the 70th Week can trust Jesus that he will save them at the appointed time. His word is true.

The third attribute is the most intriguing. Jesus has the key of David. In the last section, we saw a reference to doors that would open and not be shut in regard to Cyrus, who we learned is a type of Christ: “Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings; to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut“. Isaiah 45:1. Not only does Jesus open and shut the door, he is the door. “. I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10: 9-10. This passage clearly contrasts Jesus with the Antichrist (the thief). In the Sixth Year of the 70th Week, Jesus will use the key of David to open the door no one can shut, call to his sheep, and lead them out in the Rapture. The Key of David appears in the sixth letter in the sequence of seven letters. The Sixth Year of the 70th Week is the year of the Rapture. This is the year the Lord opens the door of heaven for the wise virgins.

CONDITION OF THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA Jesus has nothing but compliments for these survivors of the Great Tribulation, his faithful remnant represented in the Letter to Philadelphia: “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name… Because you have kept (Gk: TEREO, meaning to guard) the word of my perseverance (Gk: HYPOMONES, meaning endurance) also will I keep (Gk: TEREO, meaning to guard) you from the hour of testing (Gk: PEIRASMOU, meaning temptation, trial, or testing), that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:10

The context of this passage in the Letter to Philadelphia means that it is related to the Sixth Year of the 70th Week. Those who overcome are guarded against the “hour of testing” or trial, not the entire 70th Week of Daniel as the pre-tribulation rapture teaches. This is an important distinction. The brief hour of testing the saints will be protected from is the Wrath of God, the Trumpet and Bowl judgements, which occur during the Seventh Year of the 70th Week.

So, for six years of the 70th week of Daniel, the Saints will be on Earth doing the work God has called them to do, and the seventh year will be a sabbatical rest for the Saints in heaven. The Trumpet and Bowl judgements will last for one year and ten days, the same time as when God poured out His wrath the first time with Noah’s Flood. The year before a Jubilee year is always one year and ten days which indicates the year following God’s judgement will be a Jubilee Year.

The final post on the Meaning of the Letters to the Seven Churches of Revelation will be about the church of Laodicea, the church left behind to endure the wrath of God.

MEANING OF THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION PART FIVE

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The fifth church letter is the Letter to Sardis, representing “martyrdom” in the Pattern of Seven Events (Olivet Discourse) and Year Five of Daniel’s 70th Week prophecy.

The name of the town of Sardis comes from the Greek word SARDIUS which is an orange-red gemstone. Similar related gemstones are SARDONYX and SARDION, which is also called a carnelian. The Sardonyx is especially interesting because it is white streaked with red. What a perfect picture of the faithful Church; the pure (white) will be streaked with red (martyrdom.)

Because the Church has missed the end-time prophetic meaning of the Letters to the Seven Churches, the meaning of this symbol has evaded them as well. But when you understand the true nature of the Letters to the Seven Churches, the symbols come into focus.

These gemstones appear throughout the Bible. The Sardonyx and the Sardius appear as foundations for the walls of the New Jerusalem. Sardonyx is the fifth foundation (Fifth Year of the 70th Week?), and the Sardius is the sixth foundation (Rev. 21:19-20). Does this imply that the martyrdom of the saints that occurs in the Fifth and Sixth Years of the 70th Week are foundations the New Jerusalem is built upon? It is an intriguing theory. The Throne of the Most High himself is pictured as being like Jasper and Sardius in appearance as well. In Revelation 21:11, we are told that the Glory of God is like a stone most precious, like Jasper, that is as clear as crystal. God is so pure. His Throne isn’t a white stone streaked with red like the saints of the Fifth Year; his throne is clear as crystal with the red stone of sacrifice (Sardius), obviously referring to Jesus’s sacrifice. The first mention of Sardius (Law of Primacy) appears in Exodus where God requests a first fruits offering of Sardius stones as part of making the sanctuary. This meaning is incredibly similar to the idea that the foundations of New Jerusalem will include Sardonyx and Sardius stones. The dwelling place of our Lord rests on the sacrifices and martyrdom of his people. Then the passage concludes with this promise: “And I will appear among you.” Jesus doesn’t return until the first fruit of martyrdom of his people.

THE HISTORIC SARDIS: In the sixth century BC, Sardis was the capital of the Kingdom of Lydia. The Lydians discovered the secret of separating gold and silver and producing metals of incredibly high purity. Isn’t this also a perfect picture of what will occur during the Fifth Year of 70th Week? Jesus will use the “furnace” of great tribulation to refine his Bride like fine gold and silver. Jesus chose the symbol of this town with divine precision. Also, before this advancement by the Lydians, merchants were never sure of the value of a coin. The purity of the gold and silver made coins minted in Sardis the standard currency worldwide. Sardis is known as the birthplace of modern currency. Will the fifth year see the birth of digital currency in the lead-up to the Mark of the Beast?

In the fifth letter, the Letter to Sardis, Jesus says, “Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. (Rev. 3:3) A “thief in the night.” Jesus is saying that if churchgoers do not wake up, He will come as a thief to them as well. Indeed, we need to wake up! He is going to overthrow the world systems of wealth (Sardis) and false religion (Babylon/Baal/Islam), and only the faithful will be awake to anticipate it.

THE ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS IN THE LETTER TO SARDIS: Jesus describes the attribute of himself this way to the Church living through the Fifth Year of the 70th Week: “He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this.” (Rev. 3:1). The seven spirits of God are most likely the seven angels who stand before the Throne of God and are Jesus’s servants going to and fro throughout the earth. We saw in that discussion that these seven angels blow the seven trumpets and pour out the seven bowls that constitute the Wrath of God. The “eyes” of Jesus that burn like torches. By using this symbol, Jesus is encouraging us to know that despite the great tribulation of the Church, Jesus sees and knows what is occurring and has his angels ready to avenge the persecution of his saints.

The opening of the Fifth Seal is a parallel passage that describes the Fifth Year of the 70th Week. At the fifth seal, we see the saints beneath the Altar of God crying out: “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also.” (Revelation 6:10-11) Notice that the saints are asking when God will avenge their martyrdom, just as the reference to the seven spirits of God is a reference to God’s coming wrath. I also notice with particular interest the mention of “white robes.” After the Letter to Sardis, those who “overcome will thus be clothed in white garments” (Rev. 3:5). This is yet another perfect fingerprint identification that the Letters to the Seven Churches and the Seven Seals are two different prophetic views of the same events.

The second attribute of Christ found in this letter is that he holds the seven stars. The “stars” refer to human messengers given to the churches to help convey Jesus’s message in Revelation to them. If the seven Spirits of God give us encouragement of the coming end of the Beast system during the Wrath of God, the seven messengers (stars) help the churches interpret Jesus’s revelations so they can be overcomers. This understanding of Jesus’s revelations will never be more needed than during the Great Tribulation, before the resurrection/Rapture, followed by God’s Wrath on earth.

THE CONDITION OF THE CHURCH OF SARDIS: Viewed through the lens of an intended prophetic view of the Fifth Year of the 70th Week, it is a mostly dying church: “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. So remember what you have received and heard, and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you. But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. Revelation 3:1-4

The Fifth Year is the year of decision. Churchgoers will stand up for Jesus and face persecution and martyrdom or will commit apostasy. In Matthew 24, Jesus says the love of “most” will grow cold. To me, that means most will commit apostasy. That is why, at the end of this passage, Jesus says the Church has only a few people whose garments aren’t soiled. As the Fifth Year progresses, more and more of the true believers will lay their lives down for Jesus and His Word. By the end, the majority of those claiming to be “Christian” but who have committed apostasy will vastly outnumber the dwindling number of true believers. This is why Jesus says to this Church that they have a reputation for being alive, but they’re really dead. The Sardis Church is a mostly dead and dying Church. The true believers are mostly martyred. They are physically dead. The apostates still physically alive are, however, spiritually dead and dying. Jesus instructs them to wake up because he is coming soon. What does the command to “wake up” mean? Jesus’s main teaching on the sleeping Church is the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Jesus taught that “Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all (all ten!) got drowsy and began to sleep” Matthew 25:5. Strikingly, Jesus taught that the entire church would be sleeping at some point before his return.

The fact that Jesus inserts the instruction to “wake up” into the Letter to Sardis tells me that the Great Tribulation is the “midnight cry.” However, it appears that for some, even the Great Tribulation won’t wake them up.

Paul taught on this same subject in the section of scripture about the Rapture: “Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they (non-Christians) are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labour pains upon a woman with a child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness, so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 1 Thessalonians 5: 2-6

Paul is teaching us that we will know the approximate timing of Jesus’s return. Jesus also provided the chronology in the Olivet Discourse. He taught that the Church would go through tribulation before his coming and see other signs.

The closing statement of Jesus in this fifth letter, the Letter to Sardis:

“He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments, and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels“. Revelation 3:6

Jesus says he will not erase their names from the Book of Life. This implies that at some point, some people were written into the Book and then later erased. Were these never born-again believers? Is this the Great Falling Away, the Great Apostasy? I believe it is. I think the greatest majority of the Great Falling Away occurs during the Fifth Year of the 70th Week. When faced with the choice of physical death in this life or apostasy, unfortunately, most churchgoers will choose apostasy.

In the next post, we will look at the sixth church, the Church of Philadelphia, which God rescues before He pours out His wrath upon the Earth.

MEANING OF THE LETTERS TO THE SEVEN CHURCHES OF REVELATION PART FOUR

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In Part Three we did the Church of Pergamum: “The church in Pergamum …where Satan’s throne is. It was incredible to explore the history of the altar of Zeus; how it was taken from Pergamum to Germany and used in Hitler’s Nuremberg rallies. Moves are now taking place to have it moved back to Turkey. I asked the question could the Antichrist use it during his short reign?

The Church of Thyatira is the fourth letter describing the church in the fourth year of Daniel’s 70th Week prophecy. 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.

A quick read of the Letter to Thyatira doesn’t seem to give any obvious clues about why this letter applies to the fourth event in the Pattern of Seven Events and the Fourth Year of the 70th Week. But, although the symbols are a bit obscure, they have an amazing correlation to the Fourth Year.

ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS IN THE LETTER TO THYATIRA: Both aspects of the appearance of Jesus given in this Letter to Thyatira involve fire and glowing. This is somewhat symbolic of the trial of fire that the Church is about to enter: “The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this: Revelation 2:18

Notably, Jesus is listed as the Son of God. This is the only reference to this title in the Book of Revelation. It appears here to reinforce the authority of Jesus. In the Fourth Year, the Antichrist will sit in the temple of God and proclaim to be God. He will speak great blasphemies against the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22), especially against Jesus’s divinity. This idea of Jesus being God’s Son is found first in Psalm 2. Amazingly, after this Letter to Thyatira, Jesus quotes this very Psalm. This dual reference to Psalm 2 in this letter “time stamps” this Psalm as being primarily about the Fourth Year. Let’s look at the quoted section: “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them (the gentile nations). Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, “But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; you shall shatter them like earthenware.’” Psalm 2:4-9

This is a critical section of scripture about our understanding of the 70th Week of Daniel. We see God saying he has installed his Messiah (Jesus) as King upon Mt. Zion. During this Fourth Year, the Antichrist will take his seat in the Temple and proclaim himself god. God the Father says, “No, you are not king and not God. I have a son, even if Muslims deny it, and his inheritance will be the entire earth and all nations.” Psalm 2 is God’s answer to the Antichrist’s blasphemous statements. Furthermore, Jesus will rule, not the Antichrist, and He will rule with a rod of iron.

In the Letter to Thyatira, Jesus quotes the conclusion of this passage and applies it to the Church as well. Resurrected believers will rule with Jesus during His Millennial reign on this Earth:

“He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father.” Revelation 2:26-27

This letter is Jesus’s reminder to the Church that no matter how hopeless the Fourth Year looks, they are to know how the story ends.

AUTHORITY is a very important aspect of the Fourth Year. From a spiritual perspective, it may be the principal, defining aspect of the Fourth Year. In Revelation 13 we see Satan giving the Beast his authority and his throne in this year: God grants the Beast (the rider of the Green Death Horse) authority to kill in this Fourth Year: “Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.” Revelation 6:8

God also grants the Beast authority to war with the saints and defeat them. He also grants him authority over every tribe and people group. So, when Jesus writes that to him who overcomes he will give authority over the nations (Rev. 2:26), it is this same authority that is granted to the Beast for 42 months that Jesus will wrest from him and give to its rightful owners—-the faithful. This wonderful encouragement is needed in the Fourth Year because it is at that time that the authority is temporarily given to the Beast. It will appear all is lost, but Jesus wants his Church to remember the end of the story, that ultimately the authority will be given back to Jesus and the redeemed.

THE APPEARANCE OF JESUS: The two aspects of his appearance Jesus mentions in the Letter to Thyatira are quoted from both visions of Jesus in Daniel and Revelation. “His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace.” Revelation 1:14-15, and “His eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze.” Daniel 10:6

Jesus’s “eyes” are the seven Spirits of God (see Rev. 5:6) who are sent into all the earth. The second aspect of Jesus’s appearance mentioned in this Letter to Thyatira is his feet of burnished bronze that appear to glow “white. Feet are symbolic of sinful uncleanliness. In Solomon’s Temple a great bronze sea was set up for the priests to wash their hands and feet. (2 Chron. 4:6). During the Last Supper, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. (John 13:5) but Jesus’ feet glow “white hot” in purity.

CONDITION OF THE CHURCH OF THYATIRA: By the Fourth Year, many lukewarm Christians have fallen away. The Church, though smaller, is now stronger in their faith and in their deeds due to the refining of persecution. Jesus recognizes them for it in this Letter to Thyatira, “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your deeds of late are greater than at first” (Rev. 2:19) This is the opposite of what was said in the First Year in the Letter to Ephesus: “repent and do the deeds you did at first.” The fire of the trial is refining the Church of Thyatira.

Jesus does rebuke the Church, however, for its relationship to “Jezebel”: Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads my bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. Revelation. 2: 20

Jezebel worshipped the god, Baal. Is there a connection between Baal and Allah? Many scholars contend that the gods Hubal, Baal, and Allah are the same god. Hence, Jezebel is a symbol of Islam. Also, her name means “where is the prince?” This was a ritualistic phrase called out by Baal worshipers during times of the year he was supposedly in the underworld. This phrase would be shouted to usher him onto the earth. In addition to requiring that Baal worship be recognized as the national religion of Israel, Jezebel was the first to persecute the people of God based on their faith in YHWH. Jezebel killed as many prophets of God as she could. This also has an eerie similarity to the persecution of the “woman” and Christians about to take place at the hand of the Antichrist during the Great Tribulation. Jezebel also desired the vineyard of Naboth whose name means “fruit producer.” She had two false witnesses accuse Naboth of blasphemy and then had him stoned to death to acquire his vineyard (1 Kings 21:8-10). Isn’t this also a perfect picture of the persecutions to come when Muslims will accuse faithful, “fruit-producing” believers of blasphemy against Allah (Baal)?

In total, the career of Jezebel seems a perfect foreshadowing of Islam during the Fourth Year of the 70th Week. By using this one symbol of Jezebel, Jesus has given us so much information. Let’s return to the Letter to Thyatira and see what Jesus adds to this symbolic account: The woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. (Rev. 2:20). All food eaten under the system of the Mark of the Beast can be considered food sacrificed to this idolatrous religion. The sexual immorality mentioned may be physical as we have discussed in previous sections or may be a spiritual unfaithfulness as believers fall away and commit apostasy rather than face death. Jesus will begin to punish the false religion of Islam with pestilence in the Fourth Year as well: “I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. Revelation 2:21-23

If there is still doubt in your mind about the end-time fulfillment of the Letters to the Seven Churches, the following passage should finally help you overcome those doubts. Jesus uses the term “great tribulation.” This phrase only occurs two other times in the New Testament (Matt. 24:21 and Rev. 7:9), and in both instances, it refers to the period of the tribulation by the Antichrist in the last half of the 70th Week of Daniel, as named by Jesus himself in the Olivet Discourse. Jesus and the disciples frequently use the term “tribulation” (Gk: THLIPSIN) to represent persecution during this life, but the term “Great Tribulation” is specific to one future time. Completely consistent with our thesis, this term occurs in the letter about the Fourth Year of the 70th Week—-the year the Great Tribulation begins.

The passage has much more information than just a reference to the Great Tribulation. It says that Jesus has allowed “Jezebel” (Islam) time to repent. Most scholars date the beginning of Islam with the writing of the Quran in 609 AD. Jesus has given Jezebel (Islam) 1400 years to repent, but at some point, Jesus’s long-suffering patience with Islam will end. And that time won’t be pretty. We then see that Islam and her children will be thrown onto a bed of sickness. Jesus specifically says he will kill her children with pestilence, and that this will be cause for all the churches to know that Jesus is the one who searches minds and hearts. In my opinion, this implies that the pestilence will be of supernatural origin, and will specifically target Muslims. Psalm 91 states the following related to this pestilence: “You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. Psalms 91:5-10. The passage in Rev. 2:21-23 also says those who commit adultery with Jezebel (Islam) will be thrown into great tribulation. This passage specifically differentiates between those who commit adultery with Islam and her children. To me, “those who commit adultery with her” are not those who convert to Islam, which are her “children.” Rather they are those who do not actively oppose Allah and accept some of Islam’s practices. Jesus is clear that those people (Christians and non-believers alike) should not be fooled; they will not escape the wrath of Islam and they will be thrown into great tribulation by God. In other words, they will be persecuted unto death. Their passivity will not save them. Jesus then addresses those who have remained true to the faith: “But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them—I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless, what you have, hold fast until I come. He who overcomes, and he who keeps my deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. Revelation 2: 24-26 This verse implies that a significant trial is coming in which believers will have to hold fast. Jesus is encouraging the church to do just that because he is coming with his reward “to give authority over the nations” during His Millennial reign on this Earth.

In the next post on the seven churches of Revelation, we will look at the fifth church, the church of Sardis.

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

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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.

PURPOSE OF THE SEVEN LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES IN REVELATION

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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.