John
the apostle saw the vision of Jesus in chapter one of “Revelation”,
and he began to write to the “seven
churches in Asia”. He
started with the church located in “Ephesus”,
then the “church
of Smyrna”,
the “church
in Pergamos”,
the “church
in Thyatira”,
“the
church in
Sardis”
and
“the
church in Philadelphia” where
He told them, “These
things says he that is holy, he that is true, he that has the key of
David, he that opens, and no man shuts; and shuts, and no man opens.”
He
continued, “I
know your works: behold, I have set before you an open door, and no
man can shut it: for you have a little strength, and have kept my
word, and have not denied my name”,
and
in chapter three and verse nine Jesus told them how He will
“make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I
have loved you” where
we read:
Behold,
I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews,
and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship
before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
The
verse reads, “Behold,
I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews,
and are not, but do lie;”
John
began with the word, “Behold
which means “look and see”, “I
will make them”
or “Jesus will grant, bestow, supply and furnish the people” “of
the synagogue” or
“who are in the assembly of Jews formally gathered together to
offer prayers and listen to the reading and expositions of the
scriptures” “of
Satan”
which means “pertaining to the adversary who is the accuser, the
prince of evil spirits and the inveterate adversary of God”, “which
say”
or “who utter, proclaim and declare”
“they are Jews”
which means “that they belong to the Jewish nation as respects to
birth, origin and religion”, “and
are not” or
“yet are in no way so”, “but”
which means “nevertheless, notwithstanding, with exception, rather
and moreover” “do
lie”
or “speak deliberate falsehoods and deceptions”. Jesus declared
how he would take care of these people who “lie”
and claim to be “Jewish”
but
are actually of “Satan's
worship center”.
The
verse continues, “behold,
I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know
that I have loved you.” John
added the word, ““behold”
which means “look and see”, “I
will make them”
or “Jesus will grant, bestow, supply and furnish a way” “to
come”
or “to arise, arrive and be present” “and
worship”
which means “and fall upon their knees and touch the ground with
the forehead as an expression of profound reverence”
“before your feet”
or “in front and in the presence of the church in Philadelphia's
feet”, “and
to know”
which means “and to learn, perceive, understand and become
acquainted with the fact” “that
I have loved you”
or “that Jesus has welcomed, entertained, were fond of and loved
unconditionally and dearly the church
in Philadelphia”.
Jesus declared how those who were “lying”
about being “Jews”
but were actually of the “synagogue
of Satan”
would bow down before the feet of the
“church of Philadelphia”.
When
we think through John's words in this verse, we discover the great
promise Jesus has given to the “church in Philadelphia”.
Though people were “posing” as “Jewish believers”, they
actually belonged to “Satan's synagogue”, and Jesus
declared these people would “come and worship before the “church
in Philadelphia”. God desires a truthful relationship with
people through His Son Jesus Christ, and those who receive Jesus as
“Savior and Lord” shall be displayed before others how “Jesus
loves them”.
Next
time
we see John share how Jesus will, “keep
you from the hour of temptation”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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