All about angels - Part 1

Cherubim on the Mercy Seat

There are many fascinating people in the Bible, some of whom are angels. You can read about angels in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. There is a lot of information about angels, so I thought I'd do a question-and-answer type of post to make it easier to understand.

How many types of angels are there? There are cherubim, seraphim, archangels, and the Angel of the Lord. There were two golden cherubim covering the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. They also stood at the gate of the Garden of Eden to keep mankind out. Solomon put golden cherubim in the Temple. There is also a very interesting description of cherubim in Ezekiel 10. 

Seraphim are described in  Isaiah 6:2 as having 6 wings, 2 of which covered their faces, 2 of which covered their feet, and 2 wings that helped them fly. Seraphim are found only in Isaiah 6:2 and Isaiah 6:6. 

Gabriel is a messenger angel - he delivered messages to Elizabeth, Mary, and Zechariah. Gabriel also helped Daniel interpret the vision God gave Daniel in Daniel 8 and 9. 

Michael the archangel is the second-highest angel in the angel hierarchy. Michael is described as the prince of Daniel's people (i.e., Israel) in Daniel 10 and Daniel 12. In Revelation 12, Michael and his angels battle with the dragon. 

When you see the angel/Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, it refers to a pre-incarnate (pre-bodily) appearance of Jesus Christ. The Angel of the Lord first appears to Hagar as she is running away from Sarah in Genesis 16.  The Angel of the Lord also spoke to Abraham, Moses (in the burning bush), and Gideon. How do we know that the Angel of the Lord is Jesus? In Judges 13, Manoah asks the Angel of the Lord for His name so that they can name the baby after Him. He asked Manoah why he is asking for His name, seeing that it is wonderful. Jesus, of course, is a wonderful name. Go to BlueLetterBible.org or BibleGateway.com and do a search for Angel of the Lord to find many references to the Angel of the Lord. 

Some angels don't have any of these titles. There are holy angels and there are also fallen angels. Per GetQuestions.org:

Holy angels are seen delivering messages and protecting God’s people. They were present at creation and involved in the giving of the law. Angels announced the birth of Christ, ministered to Jesus during His sojourn on earth, and were present at His resurrection and ascension. They will be seen again at the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ.

Fallen angels are Satan's minions. They fell from Heaven when Satan was kicked out.  There are free fallen angels, who assist Satan in his dastardly deeds, and bound fallen angels, who are chained and awaiting judgment. Revelation 9:14 tells of the four bound angels who are released to kill one-third of mankind.

Do all angels have wings?  No, not all angels have wings - only cherubim and seraphim. In Genesis 28:12, angels ascend and descend on the ladder that Jacob saw in his dream. Michael and Gabriel are not listed as having wings, so how did they get around? My thought is that they have glorified bodies like Jesus did after His resurrection.

Do angels have names? The only angels with personal names in the Bible are Gabriel and Michael. 

I have more questions to be answered, but this post is long enough.  I will answer the rest of the questions in the next blog post. Thanks as always for reading! See you next time! 

Diane

Bibliography: GotQuestions.org: https://www.gotquestions.org/angels-Bible.html

Mary in her own words

This blog post is a reading from my book The People Who Knew Jesus: Monologues for Advent and Lent. If you click on the link, you'll be taken to the book's page on Amazon if you want to purchase the book. 

Mary

I was a young virgin who was engaged to Joseph, an older man who was a carpenter. He would be able to take good care of me.

But one day, while I was praying, the angel Gabriel visited me.  I was frightened.  Why would an angel want to talk to me?  “Hail, O favored one,” he said. Favored by who? By God?

Gabriel said that I would conceive and bear a son.  His name would be Jesus and He would be the Son of the Most High, and that He would be given the throne of his father David.  I realized that Gabriel was speaking of the Messiah. 

But I was confused.  How would be the baby be conceived if I was not yet married to Joseph?  I asked Gabriel how this would happen.  Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would overshadow me and I would conceive, so that my son would also be the Son of God. 

Gabriel also had other news – my aunt Elizabeth was six months pregnant.  I remembered that Elizabeth and Zechariah had been praying for a baby for a long time.  I told Gabriel that I would be the Lord’s servant and bear the Son of God.

I told Joseph I was pregnant by the Holy Spirit, but he was upset. I went to visit Elizabeth.  Elizabeth’s baby leapt in her womb when he heard my voice. I stayed at Elizabeth’s house for three months and then I went home to my family.

Caesar Augustus, the Roman ruler, ordered a census and Joseph and I had to travel to Bethlehem to be counted, since that was where his family was from.  It was a long journey, especially riding on the back of a donkey, and it was close to time for baby Jesus to be born.  As soon as we got to Bethlehem, my labor pains began. 

We went to the inn, but we were too late – there were no rooms left. Joseph was angry and I was worried and in pain.  Where would baby Jesus be born?  Finally, the innkeeper offered his stable to us and Joseph accepted.  Where else could we go? At least in the stable, we would be out of the cold.

Baby Jesus was finally born, and I wrapped Him in a cloth and laid Him in the manger.  The animals looked at baby Jesus, as if they realized that their Creator had come down to visit them.  The shepherds came to the stable and told us about their angelic visitors.  They knelt down at the manger and worshiped baby Jesus.

I will never forget the night Jesus was born.  The world’s long wait was over; the Savior had finally come down to the earth He created, in the form of a child.  And I was blessed to be the Savior’s mother.

Thanks as always for reading! And Merry Christmas! 

Diane

Joseph in his own words

This blog post is a reading from my book The People Who Knew Jesus: Monologues for Advent and Lent. If you click on the link, you'll be taken to the book's page on Amazon if you want to purchase the book.

Joseph

Mary and I were engaged to be married.  But before we could be married, it was discovered that she was going to have a baby.

I was hesitant to stay engaged to Mary after she told me she was with child. Her story that the baby’s father was the Holy Spirit was even more suspicious.  I thought to divorce her privately, so as not to cause her any shame. 

Mary left after her confession to spend some time with her aunt Elizabeth, who was with child.  Mary thought that by the time she returned that everything would be settled.  

I was still uncertain as to whether or not to divorce Mary.  But the angel of the Lord came to me one night in a dream.  He told me not to be afraid to take Mary as my wife.  He also told me that Mary had been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and that the baby in her womb would be a boy.  The angel said I should name the baby Jesus, because He would save people from their sins.  After that visit from the angel, I decided not to divorce Mary.

Caesar Augustus had decreed that every male had to travel to his hometown to be counted in a census.  Since my family was from Bethlehem, Mary and I had to travel there to be registered.  But when we got to Bethlehem, Mary said that it was time for the baby to come. 

I was worried.  We finally arrived at Bethlehem’s only inn, but the innkeeper said that all of his rooms were full and there was no place for Mary to have the baby.  He offered us the stable, so I accepted it.  What else could I do?  I hoped and prayed that everything would be all right.

It didn’t take long for baby Jesus to arrive.  He was a beautiful Child.  Great love stirred in my heart as I looked into His face, and I knew that I would protect Him and be the earthly father He deserved.  

The next blog post will be from Mary in her own words. Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas!

Diane

The Shepherd in his own words

This blog post is a reading from my book The People Who Knew Jesus: Monologues for Advent and Lent. If you click on the link, you'll be taken to the book's page on Amazon if you want to purchase the book.

The Shepherd

It was just another cold, dark night out in the fields.  Some of the other shepherds and I were taking turns watching over the sheep to protect them.  The only things we saw in the sky that night were a few stars.  I was on watch, so the rest of the shepherds were asleep.

Suddenly, an angel appeared in the sky.  I thought I was dreaming. I was very scared. Why would an angel appear to shepherds? Prophets were the only ones who saw angels. Then the angel said, “Do not be afraid. I come to bring you tidings of great joy.  You will find a baby lying in a manger, which is Christ the Lord.”  I woke up the other shepherds to see the angel. 

Then a large group of angels appeared with the angel.  They sang, “Glory to God in the highest! And goodwill to men, with who He is pleased.”  It was so beautiful.  It was a sight I will never forget.

After the angels had left, I told the other shepherds, “We must go find the baby. We must go see the Messiah, who was promised of old.”  Someone had to watch the sheep while we went to Bethlehem, so one of the other shepherds stayed behind with the sheep.

We found the stable next to the inn.  And Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus were in the stable.  The baby was all wrapped up and lying in a manger, asleep.  The animals watched over the little family.  We bowed our knees and got up close to the manager to get a closer look at the baby Jesus.  We told Mary and Joseph about the angels who had appeared to us in the fields.  Mary smiled and it looked like she was thinking about what we had told her. On our way back to the fields, we met the innkeeper.  We told him about our angelic visitors and the baby Messiah in his stable. 

We went back out to the fields and I thought about what we had seen and heard.  Shepherds were the lowest of the low, but we were the first ones to hear about the newborn Messiah!  It was a night I will never forget.

In the next blog post, we'll hear from Joseph, Jesus' earthly father. Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

 

The Innkeeper in his own words

This blog post is a reading from my book The People Who Knew Jesus: Monologues for Advent and Lent. If you click on the link, you'll be taken to the book's page on Amazon if you want to purchase the book.

The Innkeeper

There were so many people in Bethlehem that day.  They had come to town because of the census that Caesar Augustus had decreed.  I own the only inn in town, and every room was full because of the census.  There were no more rooms left for me to rent out when Joseph and Mary came to the door.  They didn’t get here in time.

Joseph was very angry when I told him that there were no more rooms available.  “Can’t you see that Mary is in pain?” he asked.  “It is time for her to be delivered.  Are you sure there are no rooms available?”

The only other room available was the room my wife and I slept in, and if I gave that up, where would we sleep?  I thought for a moment.  “I do have a place,” I told Joseph, “if you don’t mind staying in the stable with the animals.”  Joseph nodded. 

I took Mary and Joseph to the stable and made them a bed in the hay.  I made sure that there was plenty of hay for them to stay warm.  Then I went back to the inn.

I had trouble sleeping that night, so I put on my robe and went outside.  Some shepherds ran up to greet me.  They told me that the baby Messiah was lying in the manger of my stable, and that angels had told them about the baby. The Messiah? Here in my stable? I had to go and see. And there was Mary and Joseph, with the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger.

I went back to bed and told my wife. She was very angry with me. “A woman was having a baby and you put her in the stable? Tomorrow we will find a place for them to stay. A stable is no place for a baby,” she said.

Especially when that baby was the Messiah, the Redeemer that the Jews had been praying to see for many centuries. And I was one of the first to see the Messiah, lying in that manger bed. I will never forget that night as long as I live.

Stay tuned - the next post will feature the shepherd in his own words. Thanks for reading! See you next time! 

Diane

Sometimes, a kiss just means more

When we see the word "kiss," we often think of a romantic kiss between lovers, a platonic kiss between friends, or the kisses between a parent and a child.  The Bible, however, lists six different types of kisses. 

The first type of kiss we see in the Bible is the kiss of blessing. In the Old Testament, the father kisses the firstborn son, or the son kisses the father, to receive the blessing before the father dies. Genesis 48:10 tells how Jacob (disguised as Esau) kissed Isaac to receive his father's blessing before he died.  In 2 Samuel 19:39, King David kissed Barzillai and blessed him because Barzillai had provided David with supplies when he stayed at Mahanaim after David had escaped from his son Absalom, who had taken over David's throne.

The second type of kiss we see in the Bible is the kiss of anointing. In 1 Samuel 10:1, the prophet Samuel poured oil over Saul to anoint him as the first king of Israel and kissed him. 

The third type of kiss we see in the Bible is the kiss of greeting. This kind of kiss is found in ten locations in the Bible. In Genesis 29:13, after Rebecca told Laban that his nephew Jacob was at the well,  Laban ran to meet him and greeted him with a kiss. In the New Testament, in one of the most beloved parables, which is found in Luke 15, the father of the Prodigal Son ran to meet his son upon his return and kissed him. In Romans 16:16, Paul instructs the believers to greet each other with a holy kiss. In 1 Peter 5:14, Peter also instructs the believers to greet each other with a holy kiss. 

The fourth type of kiss is the kiss of betrayal. In 2 Samuel 20, Joab grabs Amasa by the beard to kiss him, but while doing so, Joab plunged his sword through Amasa's stomach and killed him. This was in revenge for Absalom appointing Amasa as commander of the army instead of Joab, who was loyal to David. The most well-known kiss of betrayal is when Judas kisses Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. You can read about this in Matthew 26:48 and in Mark 14:45. That kiss was the signal for the Pharisees to seize Jesus, and you know the rest of the story.

The fifth and final type of kiss is the kiss of farewell. The kiss of farewell can be found in six different locations in the Bible. In 1 Samuel 20:41, David and Jonathan kissed each other farewell before David ran away from Saul. In Ruth 1:14, Orpah kissed her mother-in-law Naomi goodbye before returning to her people.   In Acts 20:37, the believers in Ephesus fell on Paul's neck and kissed him goodbye because Paul told them in verse 20 that they would never see him again. 

Neither the kiss of greeting, the kiss of anointing, nor the kiss of farewell is practiced in today's church, at least not that I've seen. We live in a different world today, where we are worried about propriety and/or lawsuits.  The COVID pandemic also put the kibosh on non-romantic or friendly kisses. When we all get to heaven (what a day that will be!), we will be able to greet each other with kisses for all eternity without fear. Won't that be nice? 

In case you didn't know, I have an author page on Amazon.com, where you can purchase books of my blog posts, and you can purchase a book of my Advent/Lenten monologues. The link to my author page is in the right-hand column. Thanks in advance for your consideration!

And thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane

The big snip

In my previous blog post, I discussed the difference between the physical heart and the spiritual heart. In this blog post, I will discuss the difference between physical circumcision and spiritual circumcision. 

Physical circumcision is first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 17:10-14.  God told Abraham that to keep the covenant between Him and Abraham's descendants, every male child was to have his foreskin removed. The circumcision was to occur on the eighth day after the male child's birth. God also told Abraham that every male child is to be circumcised, whether he was a family member or he was bought with money; otherwise, the uncircumcised male would be cut off from his people. This is important because in Exodus 4:24-26, we read that Moses was returning to Egypt when the Lord met Moses on the road. The Lord was going to kill Moses, since Moses didn't have his son circumcised. Moses' wife circumcised Moses' son and threw the foreskin at Moses' feet. Even Jesus was circumcised, because He was a Jewish baby boy (Luke 2:21).

God is the Creator, and He had a good reason for selecting the eighth day for physical circumcision.  The level of Vitamin K in the blood is highest on the eighth day, and Vitamin K controls the clotting factor that helps stop bleeding. Today, baby boys are circumcised a few hours after they are born. Jewish boy babies are circumcised on the eighth day after birth during a religious ceremony called a bris. 

Spiritual circumcision refers to the foreskin of the spiritual heart, which I touched on briefly in my last blog post. The first time the foreskin of the heart is mentioned in the Bible is in Deuteronomy 10:16, where Moses tells Israel to circumcise the foreskins of their hearts so that they would not be stiff-necked (a/k/a rebellious) any longer. Moses also tells Israel in Deuteronomy 30:6 that if they fall away from faith in God but return to the Lord, He will circumcise their hearts and the hearts of their descendants to love the Lord with all of their hearts and souls so that they may live. In Jeremiah 4:4, Jeremiah tells Israel to circumcise themselves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of their hearts, lest the Lord's fury come forth like fire.

In the New Testament, Jews are referred to as "those of the circumcision," to differentiate them from the Gentiles, who weren't circumcised. In Romans 15:8, Paul refers to Jesus as the servant to the circumcision (the Jews) for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers (i.e., the Jewish fathers). 

So, how is the spiritual circumcision of our hearts accomplished? Paul states in Romans 2:29 that circumcision is of the heart in the Spirit. He then states in Colossians 2:11 that the spiritual circumcision is made without hands by Christ Himself. When we repent of our sins and put our faith in Christ, He will circumcise the foreskin of our spiritual heart so that we have a spiritual heart of flesh rather than a heart of stone.  

Dear reader, what is the condition of your spiritual heart? Have you experienced the circumcision of the spiritual heart but have turned away from God like the Israelites did? If so, the promise God gave to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 30:6 applies to you also. Repent of your sins and turn back to God so He can circumcise your spiritual heart and you can love the Lord with all your heart and soul, and truly live. 

Thanks, as always, for reading! See you next time!

Diane

The state of your (spiritual) heart

There are two types of hearts - the physical and the spiritual. Our physical heart pumps blood into the body's veins and arteries. When our physical heart stops working, we become ill and our bodies can die. But our physical heart cannot think. Our physical heart also does not control our feelings or our actions. Our physical hearts cannot desire. 

The Bible has many verses that refer to the heart. You will find a great majority of them in the Psalms. These verses, however, are about our spiritual hearts. The Scripture writers had to be writing about the spiritual heart because they wouldn't have been able to see the physical heart - the X-ray machine wasn't invented until 1895. Per GotQuestions.com, the heart is that spiritual part of us where our emotions and desires dwell. For ease of reference, I will refer to the non-physical heart as the spiritual heart in this post to avoid confusion.

Interestingly, the spiritual heart has a foreskin, which a physical heart does not have.  The spiritual heart's foreskin can be read about in the Old Testament in Deuteronomy 10:6, Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4, and in many other places in the Old and New Testaments. I will delve further into spiritual circumcision in a future post. 

Those who believe in God have spiritual hearts that are pure, clean, and that glorify God. Our spiritual heart instructs us (Psalm 16:7). If we delight in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 17:3). Our spiritual hearts, however, can be dismayed because of sin or because of circumstances (Psalm 38:8(b)). If we do sin and repent of our sin, however, God will give us a clean spiritual heart (Psalm 51:10) Our spiritual hearts believe unto righteousness and we must believe in our spiritual hearts before we can confess with our mouths that Christ is Lord and Savior (Romans 10:10).  

As for those with spiritual hearts that don't believe in God? Jeremiah 17:9 reads: "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" This verse describes those who are unsaved and don't believe in God. They are tempted and lured by the things of this world. In Romans 1:21(b), the apostle Paul writes: "because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened." Their foolish hearts lead them into darkness and God will punish them for that, as explained further in verse 24: "For this reason God gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves." 

But those who believe in God but depart from the faith are cursed, as it reads in Jeremiah 17:5: "Thus says the Lord, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man, And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord.'" Dear reader, what is the state of your spiritual heart? Do you believe and trust in God with your whole heart? Or do you just know of God and do not glorify and believe in Him? (And if this is you, how did you find this blog?) Have you followed the Lord once but have departed from the faith? If this is you, return to the Lord and pray for forgiveness and reconciliation with Him. The time will come when it will be too late for you to make the choice to return to God. 

Did you know that I have an author page on Amazon.com? The link is in the right-hand column, but here it is for easy reference: Diane's author page on Amazon  I have self-published books of posts from this blog, and there is also a book with Lenten and Advent monologues. If you purchase a book, please leave a review; it helps the algorithm.  

Thanks as always for reading! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to publish a new post. I hope to start writing more regularly again soon. 

Diane 

Oh, say can you see

In 2 Corinthians 12:1-6, Paul writes about someone who was permitted to visit the third heaven. He was too humble to admit that he was the one who saw the third heaven, although in verse 7, however, Paul admits that he had the revelations.  He then states that a thorn in the flesh was given to him, a messenger of Satan to buffet him, lest he be exalted above measure. Paul asked the Lord three times to take the thorn away, but his request was not granted. Instead of being upset over his thorn, however, Paul states that he took pleasure in his infirmity for Christ's sake. 

There has been speculation over the years as to what Paul’s “thorn” was.  I believe that Paul’s thorn was the loss of his eyesight.  Paul’s letters were transcribed by amanuenses. Per Dictionary.com, an “amanuensis” is a person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another; a secretary. Romans 16:22 is the only place you will find the amanuensis' name listed (Tertius).  In the other epistles, the name of the amanuensis is not listed, although several of the epistles list names of people who were laboring with Paul and some of them may have transcribed Paul's epistles but they didn't want to mention themselves as the amanuensis. 

 

Now it’s not like Paul didn’t know how to write.  He was a Pharisee, which meant that he was studied in the Torah and the Law.  I believe that Paul had to have amanuenses write the epistles because he couldn’t see well. You need to have the ability to see in order to write in a straight line so that your handwriting is legible.

To prove that he was the author of his epistles, Paul wrote in Galatians 6:11, “Look with what large letters I have written to you in my own hand!” If your eyesight is bad, you would have to write in large letters in order to be able to read them yourself. In Colossians 4:18 and 2 Thessalonians 3:17, Paul writes that he is writing a salutation in his own hand. 

 

I've had my suspicions for a while that Paul's thorn was his bad eyesight, but when I read Galatians 4:15, it finally came together for me. In that verse, Paul states that if it were possible, the Galatians would plucked out their own eyes and given them to him.  They obviously knew that Paul had bad eyesight and they wanted to sacrifice their eyes so that he could see.  Now if Paul had been lame, the Galatians would have offered their legs to him so that he could walk. 

 

Why did God take Paul’s eyesight away? I think it’s because the third heaven is so wonderful that nothing on Earth could ever compare to it.  God didn’t want Paul to remember what he saw. Some of us may have “thorns” in our lives that God hasn’t taken away from us, no matter how much we ask Him to.  God gives us the patience and the endurance, like He did with Paul, to live with our “thorns.”

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been helping a friend take the dramas he wrote and put them in book form to publish them on Amazon.  I hope you don't mind me plugging his book, but he has a book of Christian dramas and you can find that here. 

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time! 

Diane

Saints alive!

There are churches, both Catholic and Protestant, with church names that start with "St.", the abbreviation for Saint. "St.", like "Mr." and Mrs.", are honorifics, which is a word that means "a title or word implying or expressing high status, politeness, or respect." You will notice, however, that most evangelical churches are not named for a saint. 

The Catholic church has a process for how a person becomes a saint, a/k/a canonization.  Here's an abbreviated Dummies.com explanation of canonization:  1.  The person must be dead for at least 5 years; 2. When a person is accepted for consideration, they are called a Servant of God; 3. After it's determined that the Servant of God lived a life of virtue, they are called Venerable; 4. After one miracle is confirmed, the Venerable is presented to the Pope to see if he/she is considered Blessed. This process is called Beautification; and 5. After a second miracle is confirmed, the Blessed is again presented to the Pope for review to be considered a saint.

Whew! That's a long process.  But the Biblical requirements for a saint are much different.  In 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul addresses the church at Corinth:  “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.” (emphasis mine - DMS)  In order to be called a saint, you just have to believe in God and Jesus Christ. You don't have to be dead, you don't have to have miracles attributed to you, and you don't have to have the Pope review your case.  

In the Old Testament, there are many references to believers being saints. There are 20 references to saints in the book of Psalms alone and 12 references to saints in the other Old Testament books. These saints are the Hebrew believers in God. In the New Testament, there are 70 references to saints.  These saints, of course, are believers in Jesus. Here is the link to my search on BlueLetterBible.org for "saints:" Link  Once the new tab opens, click on the link to access the search. "Saints" is a collective term for all those who believe in God and Jesus. There are halos on the heads of paintings and statues of Catholic saints, but there are no references to halos in Scripture.

In our review of Scripture, we see that there is no complicated process to become a saint of God. As referenced above, all we have to do is to call on the name of Jesus and believe in Him to become saints. It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, or what your ethnicity is, as long as you believe in Jesus, you are a saint. 

One of my favorite childhood hymns is "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God." The first and second verses talk about saints of God who lived in the past and their courageous actions. In the third verse, the lyricist speaks about the saints that live in the present day and where a person can find the saints - everywhere!  The last phrase of the first verse states, "They were all of them saints of God and I mean, God helping, to be one too."  In fact, that should be every believer's goal.  There's an old saying - "You're a saint or you ain't."

Thanks as always for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Personally yours, Part 3

3 John is the second epistle, or letter, that John has written to a particular person.  The letter recipient is Gaius. The commentaries I reviewed state that this epistle was written in 90-100 AD.  It was probably written before John's exile to Patmos since John states in the letter that he hopes to see Gaius soon so they can speak face to face. 

In verse 1, John once again identifies himself as the Elder.  John must have known Gaius very well and knew of his faith, for John calls him "beloved Gaius." John loves Gaius in the truth.  We should love fellow believers in the truth as well. 

John repeats the word "beloved" in the second verse. John prays that Gaius prospers in all things, as his soul prospers.  As believers, our souls must prosper in our relationship with the Lord so that we may prosper in all things, and be in health. When our relationship with the Lord is not prosperous, the rest of our life will suffer, especially if we fall into sin.

In verses 3-4, John states that he rejoiced when he heard from the brethren that Gaius was walking in the truth. We should be joyful when fellow believers walk in the truth. 

In verses 5-6, John addresses Gaius' duties. Gaius is to do whatever he does for the brethren faithfully. Whatever we as believers do for fellow believers and for strangers, we are to do it faithfully.  John states that both the brethren and the strangers bear witness to Gaius' love before the church.

John stated that Gaius was to send people on their way in a manner worthy of God and that he would do well. The people who went forward for Jesus' name sake took nothing from the Gentiles. You may recall that Paul supported himself as a tent maker. John stated that Gaius, and we as well, should receive those who speak the truth so that we will become fellow workers for the truth.

The subject changes in verse 9.  John wrote that he had written to a church, but he didn't identify the name of the church. There is a man at this church named Diotrephus, who I'll call Dio for short. Dio has a superiority complex.  He will not receive John or anyone with him.   

In verse 10, John stated that when he does go to the church that will not be named that he will remind Dio of his bad deeds. John stated that Dio was prating.  Per Dictionary.com, the definition of "prating" is to talk excessively and pointlessly.  Not only did Dio speak badly about John, Dio would not receive his fellow brethren and he evicted those from the church who wished to receive their fellow brethren. Dio was a bad leader. We should receive our fellow brethren in love and rebuke those who refuse to do so.

John transitioned to another subject in verse 11. John stated that we are not to imitate evil but to imitate good.  Those who imitate good are of God, but those who do evil have not seen God, or even know God.

Verse 11 is a bridge into verse 12, where John praised Demetrius and said he had a good testimony. This is in contrast to Diotrephus, who is not a good example to follow.  This comparison reminds me of the characters Goofus and Gallant, the characters in the magazine Highlights for Children who illustrate good behavior and bad behavior for children. 

John finishes up the letter in verses 13-14. He states that he had many things to write, but he would rather speak to Gaius in person, face to face. John then ends the letter with a blessing and greetings from God's friends. 

This is a short book, but there are lots of good things packed into it.  This epistle has instructions on how Christians should greet and treat fellow believers, how a person in pastoral authority should and should not act, and what a believer should imitate.  

That's all for now! Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Personally yours, Part 2

In part one, I wrote about Paul’s epistle to Philemon, which was addressed to a person and not to a particular church like his other epistles. The apostle John wrote three epistles and two of them are also personally addressed to a person.

2 John is the first of John's two epistles directed to a person as opposed to the church in general, as in 1 John. In modern times, we write (or type) the names and addresses of the person or people we are writing to, and put our signatures at the end of the letter, but in Biblical times, it appears that the writer puts his name first, and then addresses the recipient.  

In verse 1, John calls himself The Elder. Everyone must have known that John was the Elder and he didn't need to put his name before the title.  John then addresses the recipient of the letter, who is “To the elect lady and her children.” To be “elect” is to be a person who has repented of their sins and receives Jesus Christ as his or her Savior.  John does not mention the name of the elect lady.  The commentaries I reviewed did not know who the elect lady was either.  Was the elect lady someone that John knew very personally and that is why he didn’t address her by name?  In the book of Revelation, the Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ. Could the elect lady be the Church?  Her children, then, would be all the believers in Christ.  So this letter may have a double meaning. 

John then states that he loves the elect lady in truth and those who know the truth love her as well.  So this is not a romantic relationship -  this is agape love.  John then states that the truth abides in him, in her, and the truth will live in them forever.  If we know the truth of Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as our Savior, the truth will live in us forever as well. 

In verse 3, John gives the elect lady a blessing.  John states that grace, mercy, and peace will be with her from God and from Jesus. John refers to Jesus as the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father.  

In verse 4(a), John writes that he is rejoicing that some of the elect lady's children are walking in truth, which is the truth of the Gospel. Wait a minute - "some" of her children? That means that not all of her children are walking in the truth. This also has a meaning for today's church.  Not all of the people attending worship services or who are church members are born-again Christians. For some people, church is a social club where they meet up with their friends or they join a certain church to advance in certain clubs or occupations.  

Then in verses 4(b) and 5, John ends the personal greetings and writes about the first topic, which is love.  John covers the topic of love in great depth in 1 John 4. Here, John states the most important commandment, which is to love one another by walking in God's commandments.  This also applies to us in the modern church.  We are to walk in love both towards God and towards others by following God's commandments. 

The next topic in John's epistle are deceivers, who are antichrists.  John defines an antichrist (small "a" antichrist, not to be confused with the Antichrist, who will come forward after the Rapture) as those who deny that Jesus Christ came to Earth in the flesh. John notes that the elect lady, and we as well, should not fall into this false doctrine so that we will obtain our full reward in Heaven. John states that those who don't abide in Christ's doctrine do not have God, and those who do abide in Christ's doctrine have both Christ and God.  We should abide in Christ's doctrine so we will have both God and Christ. John writes to the elect lady that if any of these deceivers show up at her door that she should not greet them nor receive them into her house, so as not to take part in their evil deeds. We in the modern church need to keep an eye out for those who come into the church with unbiblical ideas and doctrines.  We want to walk in Biblical ways and not in ways that are not pleasing to God.

John writes a personal greeting to the elect lady in the last two verses.  He states that he has more to say, but he would rather do so in person so that their joy may be full. He then states that the children of her elect sister greet her.  So who is the elect sister?  Another church?  And why are the children greeting the elect lady and not their mother? The commentaries I reviewed had no idea about who the elect sister was.  There are some things that we won't know until we get to Heaven.

Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Personally yours, Part 1

Most of the books of the New Testament are epistles (or letters) written by Paul to the various churches that he either founded or visited. These letters contained Paul's greetings to the church that he was addressing, corrections in doctrine, instructions for church worship or organization, and personal greetings to some of the members of the particular church that Paul was addressing.  It appears from reading the last chapter of most of the epistles that Paul has dictated the letter to someone else to write because there will be a verse added where Paul is writing with his own hand. In Romans 16:22, Tertius states that he has written the epistle.  In Galatians 6:11, Paul states:  "See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!" I think that poor eyesight was the "thorn" that Paul suffered from after his vision of Paradise in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.  If Paul's sight was poor, he wouldn't have been able to write the epistles so that they could be read by the church they were addressed to. Paul would have to write in very large letters so that he could read his own handwriting.

One of Paul's epistles, however, is not directed to a church. It is directed to a person. Philemon is a short letter; it is only 25 verses long.  Paul starts his letter by calling himself a prisoner of Christ Jesus.  The commentaries I have reviewed indicate that Paul was in prison in Rome when this letter was written. Paul was a believer in Christ and it was for his faith that he was a prisoner.  Timothy was probably in Rome attending to Paul's needs, and that may be why he is mentioned in verse 1.  

Verse 2 states that the letter is addressed to Philemon and the people in his house, along with the church that was meeting in Philemon's house.  Verse 3 is a blessing to the recipients of Paul's letter.  

Paul addresses Philemon personally in verses 4-7 and praises him for his faith and love toward Jesus and all of the saints. Paul states that Philemon has refreshed the hearts of the saints and that he has great joy because of that. 

Now that Paul has gotten all of the niceties out of the way, he gets down to business in verses 8-11.  Paul states that he could be bold and demand that Philemon do what he is going to request, but instead, he appeals to Philemon in love because he is old and he is also a prisoner of Christ.  Paul requests that Philemon take back Onesimus, Philemon's runaway slave.  Onesimus apparently ran away from Philemon to Rome to see Paul. In verse 10, Paul states that Onesimus is his own "son," and Onesimus is now profitable to Paul and to Philemon. I believe this means that Onesimus repented of his sins and was born again while he was with Paul.  

Paul wanted to keep Onesimus with him in Rome so that he could minister to Paul in his chains.  However, Paul realized that Onesimus should return to Philemon, his earthly master, so he sent Onesimus back to Philemon. Paul states to Philemon that he wanted Philemon to take Onesimus back voluntarily and not by compulsion. Paul explains that now Onesimus is not only Philemon's slave, he is Philemon's brother in Christ.  

Paul asks Philemon to receive Onesimus as he would Paul.  Paul states that if Onesimus has wronged Philemon or owes him anything, Paul would take care of it. It appears that this letter was not dictated to another person, for in verse 19, Paul states that he is writing with his own hand.  Paul states that Philemon owes Paul his own self besides - Paul probably led Philemon to Christ. 

Paul tells Philemon to refresh his heart in the Lord and to have joy from him in the Lord.  Paul states that he knows that Philemon will do more than he asks him to do, because Paul has confidence in Philemon's obedience.  

Paul must have hoped that he would be released from prison, for he asks Philemon to prepare a guest room for him because he believed that through Philemon's prayers that he would be able to come to Philemon.  However, we know from history that Paul was not released  from prison in Rome and he was executed there.  

Verses 23-24 are more greetings from various laborers in Christ and from Epaphras, Paul's fellow prisoner in Christ.  Paul ends the letter with a gracious benediction.

So since the letter to Philemon was not addressed to a church, why was it included in the New Testament canon? I believe the letter to Philemon has lessons that we as Christians can and should learn.  When people repent of their sins and believe in Christ as Savior, we are to treat them as the new creatures in Christ that they have become and not as the sinners they once were. We are to receive them graciously in Christ. When we want others to do things for us, we are to ask in love and not with demands.  We should always speak graciously and in love to fellow believers. And Onesimus' story is similar to the parable of the Prodigal Son - Onesimus ran away but believed in Christ and returned home, and the Prodigal Son came to his senses and returned home as well. Onesimus is also mentioned as a faithful and beloved brother in Colossians 4:9, which means that Philemon was probably written before Colossians.

The Apostle John also has two epistles that were addressed to individuals, and I'll look at those in my next post.  Thanks as always for reading - I'm sorry it's been a long time since my last post.   In the meantime, don't forget to check out and subscribe to this blog's YouTube channel - the link is here:  Reflections, Ruminations & Recollections.  See you next time!

Diane

What's in a name?

"That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." So goes the quote from the tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare. Parents choose the name of their newborns carefully, whether it is a new-fangled name or the name of a favorite relative, and they also have to see how the chosen name fits with the surname.

In the Bible, people's names and place names reflected their character traits. Most of the time, the actual text does not provide the meaning of the name; you can usually find the meaning of a name in a footnote. Sometimes, however, the meaning of the name is found in the text. Isaac's wife Rebekah bore him twin sons. The firstborn son was named Esau, which means "hairy," because he was covered with hair when he was born. The other twin was named Jacob, which means "one who takes the heel," because he grabbed Esau's heel when he exited the womb. Jacob's name also means "deceiver," and he deceived Esau out of his birthright. Jacob's wife Leah bore him many sons. Each son's name described the circumstances of his conception or birth.

Names were also changed by God if the person's circumstances changed. Abraham's original name was Abram (exalted father). God changed Abram's name to Abraham (father of a multitude) in Genesis 17 when God told him that he would be the father of many nations. Sarah's name was originally Sarai, and her name was also changed in Genesis 17. Sarah's name means "princess." Sarah laughed when she heard the Lord say that she would bear a child in her old age, so her son's name was Isaac, which means "laughter."

Jacob's name was changed to Israel (Prince with God) after he wrestled with a Man, who was probably the Angel of the Lord, in Genesis 32. Jacob called that place Peniel, which means "Face of God." The name change is reconfirmed in Genesis when Jacob returned to Bethel (which means "house of God").

Jesus changed names as well.  He gave Simon the name Peter. He also gave brothers James and John the nickname Boanerges, which means "sons of thunder."

As believers, we will also receive new names. In Revelation 2:17(b), John writes: "And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one know except him who receives it." Even Jesus Himself will get a new name. In Revelation 3:12, Jesus states: “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more.  I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God.  And I will write on him My new name.” There is no indication in Revelation what Jesus’ new name is – we will just have to wait until we get to Heaven to find out what it is. 

Interested in finding out what your name means? You can go to this website https://www.behindthename.com/to find out.

Thanks for reading! See you next time! 

Diane

Wrestling in the Garden

Wrestling is one of the few sports mentioned in the Bible.  In Genesis 32:24, Jacob wrestled with a Man all night after he sent his wives and the rest of his entourage over the brook.  The heading for this section of the chapter is "Wrestling With God" in the NKJV.  In Ephesians 6:12, Paul states that we wrestle against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of the age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  This is spiritual wrestling and not physical wrestling. 

Those of you who are modern wrestling fans know that every wrestling card has the main event, which usually takes place at the end of the event. In the main event, the reigning champion is challenged for the title. The matches that lead up to the main event are called the undercard. 

The main event in Christianity, of course, is the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The last match on the undercard, however, was a wrestling match in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Let me introduce you to the wrestlers. The first wrestler was Jesus the Son of Man, fully human. His human side showed compassion, yet He also showed anger when he cleared the temple of the money changers. 

The second wrestler was God the Father, Creator of the universe. He knew the future before the beginning of time.  He made man in His image and breathed life into him. 

The Son of Man came to the Garden of Gethsemane to wrestle in prayer with God the Father.   His disciples came with Him to the Garden, but He made most of them wait elsewhere, except for Peter, James, and John (Matthew 26:36).  His human emotions came to the surface as He told the three that He was sorrowful unto death and told them to keep watch with Him.  Like most of us humans, we want the comfort of other humans when we are sad.  

The Son of Man wrestled in prayer with God the Father three times (or three rounds, in boxing terms.  Sorry about the mixed sports metaphors.).  During the first time He prayed, His human emotion came out in the first part of the prayer. "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." The cup referenced here was Jesus' death on the cross as the ultimate sacrifice for sin.  The Son of Man, like most humans, didn't want to suffer pain and die. But in the second part of the prayer, the Son of God, who knew His Father's will, showed up and said, "nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." 

The Son of Man then checked up on the disciples and found them sleeping.  Maybe they ate too much at the Passover seder.  He chastised Peter for falling asleep. He then spoke one of the most famous verses in Scripture - "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." That has an application for us as well. 

In the second round of prayer, the Son of Man began to be resigned to His fate.  He said, "O My Father, if this cup cannot pass from me unless I drink it, Your will be done." Luke records in his Gospel that after this round of prayer, an angel came to strengthen the Son of Man.  He went back to check on His disciples and they had fallen asleep again.  

There was a third round of prayer in which the Son of Man prayed the same as He did in the second round.  Luke records in his Gospel that Jesus prayed in such agony that His sweat was like great drops of blood falling to the ground.  He came back to check on His disciples and they were still sleeping.  This time, the Son of God woke the disciples up and told them to rise and pray, lest they fall into temptation.  

We Christians wrestle with God in prayer as well.  We don't sweat like great drops of blood or have an angel strengthen us, however, like Jesus did. We must remember, though, that when we wrestle with God in prayer that it is not our will but God's will that must be done.  

Thanks as always for reading!  I hope it won't be as long until I write again.

Diane

Growing your faith garden

A while back, I wrote a blog post about how sin is like weeds in our garden. You can read that blog post here. I’d like to take the gardening metaphor in another direction and write about how growing our faith is much like growing a garden.

When you start a garden, you dig up the soil (or plant in a raised garden bed or a large pot if digging’s not your thing or you’re physically unable to dig) and plant the seeds and/or bulbs.  We plant the seeds of our faith in Jesus in our hearts so that it will take root and grow larger over time, much like our plants grow larger.  

We water the ground and add fertilizer to our plants in order for them to grow up tall and strong, and also to produce fruit and vegetables if we have planted those kinds of seeds.  We feed our faith in Christ by prayer and spending time with God, worship, reading our Bible on a regular basis, and sitting under Biblical teaching.  Much like some plants grow better when they are around other plants, Christians can also grow in their faith through fellowship with other Christians.  All these things will help us grow the fruits of the Spirit, which are listed in Galatians 5:22.  

The water and fertilizer of both the garden and our faith in Jesus will produce a good harvest when the time is right.  But sometimes, despite our best efforts (or lack of effort), our faith and our gardens start to wither and die.  Maybe the weeds, both of sin and of plant, have taken over our spiritual and physical gardens and they need to be removed.  Maybe some of our plants need to be transplanted in other parts of the garden to get them growing again if they get too crowded.  If you’re in a church and you feel that you’re not being spiritually fed and the worship is dry, maybe it’s time for you to be transplanted to another church.  

Paul chastised the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3:1-22 for their lack of spiritual growth, although he used a food metaphor instead of a gardening metaphor.  But the same principle applies.  The Corinthians were not ready to learn about things that make for a deeper faith because they had not been feeding their faith correctly. 

Keep pulling those weeds (of sin and/or plant) and keep on watering and fertilizing!  I hope and pray that your spiritual garden and your physical garden are both growing well.  Thanks for reading! See you next time!

Diane

Don't fool yourself

April 1 is known as April Fool’s Day. It is not an official holiday, but it is a day when people play practical jokes and hoaxes on others. It has been celebrated in many countries around the world for many centuries. April Fool’s Day can also be called Atheist’s Day, as per Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1, where David writes: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

David’s son Solomon, who had wisdom given to him by God, wrote many proverbs about fools to contrast the fool’s behavior to that of wise people and in order that people would not become fools. Here is a summary of these proverbs about fools.

The attributes of a fool:

Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

Fools hate knowledge (Proverbs 1:22).

The mouth of the foolish is near destruction (Proverbs 10:14).

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes (Proverbs 12:15).

It is an abomination to fools to depart from evil (Proverbs 13:19).

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride (Proverbs 14:3).

The folly of fools is deceit (Proverbs 14:8).

The foolishness of fools is folly (Proverbs 14:24).

A fool despises his father’s instruction (Proverbs 15:5).

The heart of the fool does not disperse knowledge (Proverbs 15:7).

The mouth of a fool feeds on foolishness (Proverbs 15:14)

A fool’s mouth is his destruction and his lips are the snare of his soul (Proverbs 18:7).

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool (Proverbs 28:26).

The actions of a fool:

He spreads slander (Proverbs 10:18).

He does evil like a sport (Proverbs 10:23).

The heart of a fool proclaims foolishness (Proverbs 12:23).

Fools mock at sin (Proverbs 14:9).

A fool rages and is self-confident (Proverbs 14:16).

The mouth of fools pours forth foolishness (Proverbs 15:2).

The foolish woman pulls down her house with her hands (Proverbs 14:1).

A fool has delight in expressing his own heart (Proverbs 18:2).

A fool’s lips enter into contention and his mouth calls for blows (Proverbs 18:6).

The heart of fools is in the house of mirth (Ecclesiastes 7:4).

Anger rests in the bosom of fools (Ecclesiastes 7:9).

The results of foolishness:

The complacency of fools will destroy them (Proverbs 1:32).

Shame shall be the legacy of fools (Proverbs 3:35).

A foolish son is the grief of his mother (Proverbs 10:1).

A prating (chattering, babbling) fool will fall (Proverbs 10:8, 10).

Fools die for lack of wisdom (Proverbs 10:21).

A fool’s wrath is known at once (Proverbs 12:16).

A fool lays open his folly (Proverbs 13:16).

The companion of fools will be destroyed (Proverbs 13:20).

The folly of fools is deceit (Proverbs 14:8).

A foolish man despises his mother (Proverbs 15:20).

Honor is not fitting for a fool. (Proverbs 26:1).

God has no pleasure in fools (Ecclesiastes 4:4).

What should we do when we encounter a fool? Solomon gives good advice to us in Proverbs 14:7: “Go from the presence of a foolish man, When you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.” Paul also writes in Ephesians 5:15, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise.” 

Now that we know all about fools, we should make sure that we don’t follow in their footsteps.  We should fill our hearts and minds with God’s Word and learn wisdom. 

Thanks as always for reading!  See you next time!

 Diane

 

Overcomer

The book of Revelation is a book of the Bible that a lot of people say they don't understand, or maybe they just don't want to understand.  "It doesn't apply to us today, " they say. "It's about the future. I don't care about that."  Yet over twenty-five percent of the Bible is prophecies about the future. If God didn't want us to know what was going to happen in the future, He wouldn't have told us.  And Revelation is the only book of the Bible that promises blessings to those who read it and follow it. Revelation 1:3 reads: "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near." God's time is not the same as human time, so "near" means something different to God than it does to us.  

Per Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of "revelation" is "something that is revealed by God to humans." We Christians mostly refer to the book of Revelation as just Revelation, but the actual title of the book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."  The other books of the Bible were transcribed by men and inspired by God. Per Revelation 1:1, God gave Jesus the revelation in the book of Revelation to give to men. This last book in the Bible is not only directed to the Asian churches for correction and reproof (and for us as well), it also reveals what will happen in the last times, at the Second Coming, and what will happen after.  It also reveals what rewards we will receive for being faithful believers, or overcomers, as Jesus calls us.  There's a lot to dig out of the book of Revelation, but for this blog post, I'm going to concentrate on the first three chapters.  

In Revelation 1, John greets the seven churches of Asia. Like Paul's epistles, this book was forwarded from church to church to be read to each congregation, as per Jesus' instructions in Revelation 1:11. Revelation 1:7 reminds me of Zechariah 12:10-14, where all of Israel looks on the One who they pierced (Jesus) and they will mourn.  

In Revelation 1:9, John gives us some background as to where he is and why he is there.  In verse 10, John mentions that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, which means that he was in prayer on a Sunday.  He heard a voice behind him, which turns out to be Jesus since He refers to Himself as the Alpha and the Omega. 

John knew that voice.  He heard it for three years while Jesus walked on the earth.  John quickly turned around so that he could see Jesus, but He looked very different than He did when He was walking on Earth. In fact, His appearance was so different that it shocked John and he fainted. But Jesus laid His hand on John and comforted him.  Jesus explains about the seven stars in His right hand, which are the angels of the churches, and the seven lampstands, which are the churches. 

Jesus also instructs John to write down what he sees and hears and send it to the seven churches. He starts the letters right away in Revelation 2. The letters continue until the end of chapter 3. Jesus addresses each church in the first person. He could have told John, "Write that Jesus says to tell you," which would put the letters in the third person.  Jesus also addresses Himself by a different title for the letter for each church.  He has John address each letter to the angel of that particular church. The "angel" of the churches, per various commentators, are the pastors of the churches. 

Each letter to the churches has three parts.  In the first part of each letter, Jesus tells that particular church about the good things they have done or believed, to encourage them. Then in the second part of each letter,  Jesus tells them about what they have done wrong and what will happen if they don't correct that wrong.  In the third and final part of each letter, Jesus gives a promise for believers who stay faithful.  This is usually preceded by the phrase, "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Sometimes this phrase is at the end of the letter.  Either way, it is the hint that the reproof/correction is finished. 

The table below summarizes and explains the first two parts of each letter.  Then I'll summarize what overcomers will receive in Heaven after the Rapture. You will only see entries for five churches in the table below because not all of the churches had done things they needed reproof for.  When you read the "What was done wrong" column, think about how that entry would translate to you and/or the modern church. 

What was done wrong:	How to correct what was done wrong:	What happens if the wrong isn’t corrected:
Nevertheless I (Jesus) have this against you, that you have left your first love.	Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works.	Else I (Jesus) will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
But I (Jesus) have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.	Repent.	Or else I (Jesus) will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth.
Nevertheless I (Jesus) have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.  And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.	Repent (implied, not in the text).	Indeed I (Jesus) will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.
Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I (Jesus) have not found your works perfect before God.	Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.	Therefore if you will not watch, I (Jesus) will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
I (Jesus) know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.	I (Jesus) counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.	Jesus doesn’t detail what would happen if the wrong isn’t corrected.

Now for the good news!  For those who keep the faith and are overcomers, here are the promised rewards:  

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

 I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death.

I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.

To him I will give power over the nations—I will give him the morning star.

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.

I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

The "I" in each verse above refers to Jesus. Aren't these promises wonderful? They give us something to look forward to and they encourage us when we feel sad.  I wonder what Jesus' new name is, don't you?   How thrilling it will be when all these promises come true and we will be with Jesus eternally!  

Thanks for your patience and continued reading of my blog. I hope to write more soon.  See you next time!

Diane