PENTECOST – 2000

"The Seven Church Harvest" #7 - Philadelphia & Laodicea

Fred Coulter  -  June 4, 2000

This is the Seven Church Harvest #7, and what I have done is gone through, and we haven’t quite finished, but we are going through the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3.  And we are seeing that there is a parallel in the harvest leading up to Pentecost between the seven weeks of harvest and the seven churches.  And then on Pentecost we will cover the 50th day harvest, which then will be the final harvest of God.

Now let’s come to Revelation 3, and we began with the church at Philadelphia, or ended rather last time with the church at Philadelphia, and so we’ll pick it up here.  And let’s see if we can conclude the church at Philadelphia and the Laodicean church.  Now as I mentioned, these prophecies can apply:

#1  To the seven literal churches then.

#2  To the history of the Church of God down through time.

#3  To any attitude that a person can have in any church at any time.

#4  To show all the main doctrinal problems into which the Church of God would have infiltrated into them.

And as I mentioned before, I’ll mention here, Satan always infiltrates the true Church of God.  You never hear of anyone from the true Church of God infiltrating a church of Satan.  Like infiltrate the Catholics and change them.  No way, see.  We are to be separate from them.  So it’s interesting that these things come into the church. 

Now as we are looking at the church at Philadelphia let’s understand something.  Christ is the one Who has the key of David.  And Christ is the one Who opens and Who closes.   Opening can refer to: 

#1  Preaching the gospel.

#2  To understanding the word of God.

Now if you don’t have the tape, “The Key of David”, and “Tabernacle of David”, those two tapes, write for them.  Because the tabernacle of David is the Church.  Let’s to back…hold your place here cause we’ll be back to Revelation 3.  Let’s go to Acts 15.  The reason why it is called the tabernacle of David is because we are to have the same spiritual attitude of David.  The same heart as David.  And that means the closeness that we have to God.  Now this is Acts 15.  We won’t get into a full length discussion here of Acts 15 and the problem of circumcision, and so forth.  But what we’ll do, we’ll come down here and come to verse 13 where James then renders his decision. 

“And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon [that is Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles…”  And I think that that is quite ironic when you read Galatians 2, how that Peter got trapped by the circumcision party into separating from the Gentiles.  And yet he was the first one to go to the Gentiles, to Cornelius and his family, as recorded in Acts 10 and 11.  And God revealed to Peter that God was no respecter of persons, and there was a miraculous conversion of Cornelius and his household by giving of the Holy Spirit before they were baptized (afterwards they were baptized, of course).  But to show to Peter that God was calling the Gentiles.  So he went through and explained all that.  Now continuing, “…did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His name.”  Now it’s important to understand when you come to Hebrews 4:9, “There remains therefore for the people of God Sabbath-keeping…” (Acts 15:13-14).  Then here it’s talking about Gentiles as the people of God, as well as we find in 1 Peter 2:8.  

Now notice verse 15.  “And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom My name is called, saith the Lord, Who doeth all these things” (vs. 15-17).  So this is another strong statement that we can use to go along concerning the Sabbath and the word of God, and Gentiles, and all of this. 

“Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence [or judgment] is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: but that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood” (vs. 18-20).  Now these are also contained in the law of Moses. 

Now notice verse 21.  “For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach Him [that is preach about the coming of Christ], being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.”  So his judgment does not release the Gentiles from Sabbath or holy day keeping.  What it does, it releases all, all, not just the Gentiles, from all the code of Jewish law.  Now if you’ve never seen the book The Code of Jewish Law, write me and I’ll tell you where you can get one.  But you cannot understand the writings of Paul, or what is said concerning the law of Moses in relationship to the Pharisees and Sadducces unless you understand that all the code of Jewish law are those laws which the Jews made to put around the Ten Commandments and the word of God.  So in effect their traditions, as Jesus said, rejected the truth of God.  And so this was the problem that they were having concerning circumcision. 

And that’s why Paul, in Romans 4 shows that Abraham was converted and the father of the faithful while he was uncircumcised, and circumcision came later.  So that’s all that I need to get into with this.  Suffice to say, these Gentiles were doing what?  Keeping the Sabbath.  Attending the synagogue.  And the question was: Would there be the enforcement of the laws of Judaism put upon them rather than keeping the laws and commandments of God.  So the decision was made they should keep the laws and commandments of God. 

But the main point I wanted to make here for the church at Philadelphia is that the tabernacle of David shows…let’s go back here to Revelation 3…shows the attitude of David, the obedience of David, the love of God that David had, and this is why the church at Philadelphia, which is called the church of brotherly love, in order to have brotherly love you have to have the love of God first.  And we will see that they have the love of God first, and love the brethren. 

Now let’s just review here, verse 8.  “I know thy works [so they had works]: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word, and hast not denied My name [which shows that they’re faithful].” 

All right, why is it important to understand the weakness of human beings?  Which none of the other churches were commended for understanding that they were weak.  Now weak can mean several things:

            #1   Not very much strength in numbers.

#2  Understanding the weakness of the flesh in relationship to obeying in the spirit.

Now what happens when you are weak?  Let’s look at some of the scriptures here.  Let’s first of all go to 2 Corinthians 12.  And being weak and relying on the strength of God, then does what?  As we will see it shows you are relying on the strength of God through the grace of God to do what God wants.  Remember what Christ said, “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”  And the problem comes about when we get to the Laodiceans, that they think that the physical things and their physical abilities give them a great standing before God.  But it doesn’t. 

Now let’s read here, concerning Paul, what happened here.  Let’s begin in verse 7.  “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan…”  Now the Greek here is angelos.  And it could mean an angel, or a fallen angel of Satan.  And He has his angels, Revelation 12:9-10.   “…To buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure” (2 Cor. 12:7).  And apparently this angel, what it did, it went around and stirred up trouble and opposition for Paul.  You read all the trouble and difficulties he had everywhere he went, stirred up the Jews against him.

Verse 8, “For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  So if we have a little strength that means we recognize our weaknesses, which means then we look to the grace of God and the help of the Holy Spirit.  “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities [which then is weaknesses], in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”  That is being strong in the Lord.  So the Philadelphians, as we will see, were strong in the Lord.  That’s important to understand.

Now let’s look in the book of Isaiah.  That’s what’s important to realize.  We have to understand this, brethren. We cannot accomplish spiritual things by our own spirituality or carnal means.  We cannot do that.  We can make it look like we’re doing it but in the final analysis there is going to be a test that will come which will prove that we can’t .  Now have we not seen that in operation many, many times over?  Yes, indeed. 

Isaiah 35:3, “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.  Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not:…”  And that’s what we need to do because we are going to be confronted with an enemy, as we will see, in the synagogue of Satan.  “…Behold your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; He will come and save you.  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (Isa. 35:3-6).  Then it blends on from there in to the millenium and the coming of Christ.  So we have to have our power and strength in Christ.

Let’s go to Psalm 73.  Now remember Paul also said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”  And that’s where our strength comes from.  It doesn’t come from our ability.  It doesn’t come from great knowledge and understanding.  It comes from God’s way, God’s Spirit, God’s truth, from God Himself. 

Now here Psalm 73:26.  “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.  For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.”  Now this is very important because the Philadelphians are one of those churches which did not get involved in false doctrines, which is called “going whoring”.  Drinking of the cup of the fornication of the harlot of Babylon the Great.  “But it is good for me to draw near to God [and that’s what the Philadelphians always do, draw near to God]: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all Thy works” (Psa. 73:26-28).  Not relying upon himself, nor relying upon his ability, but always upon God.  And we will see being faithful to the word of God as no other church.  And that’s becomes important.

Now let’s go back to Psalm 35.  And here then is how a Philadelphian fights the battle.  Now let’s look at some of those who trust in physical things to fight their battles for them.  And of course we’ll see in just a minute, our battle that we are fighting is the synagogue of Satan.  And that means on a spiritual level.  On a political level.  And on an economic level the whole world has been deceived by the synagogue of Satan.  And I’ll bring that out when I bring another sermon, which I’m going to give a little more in depth concerning the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. 

Now then, for those who do not rely on God, what is one of the type of organizations that we find out there and has cost us trouble from time to time?  It is the organization, or the kind of organizations, there are many different movements in it, which is we need to get back to the constitution once delivered in the United States.  These are called the sovereignists, saying that we all have our sovereign rights and we need to exercise that and get back to the constitution once delivered.  Now granted the constitution is being changed defacto.  But even if you get back to the constitution once delivered, what do you have?  As great as the constitution and bill of rights of the United States is, what do you have?  You have a carnal government.  So what they are trying to do with these means by saying, well, you should withdraw from Social Security.  You should not have a driver’s license.  You should not have a car license on your car.  You should not have a bank account, etc., etc., etc.  They are trying to fight the enemy with carnal means. 

The Philadelphians will fight the enemy with spiritual means.  All the while recognizing that it says, “Be subject to the higher powers.”  Now when we draw the line, which is not too far down the road, by the way, is when they want us to go against our faith.  We draw the line and say, “Absolutely no.”  And when they say, “Receive the mark of the beast, and worship the image of the beast.”  We say, “No.”  And as we will see in some of the sermons I will bring that the whole set-up as I have said many times before, it’s going to be a whole new numbering system.  Everything else that we have is leading up to that.  The mark of the beast will be the final tip that is put on the finished product.  And that’s where God says, “You draw the line.”  I call your attention to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego when they were told to bow down to the idol.  That’s where they drew the line and said, “No, regardless of what you do to us we will not bow down to the idol.  And if it’s God’s will that we die, we die.  If it’s God’s will we don’t, we won’t.”  So they were cast into the furnace of fire and they survived.  Christ was actually in there with them protecting them. 

Now here’s how a Philadelphian fights the battle.  Psalm 35:1, “Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me…”  That’s why I do not get into doctrinal arguments unless it gets down into effecting the brethren and what they believe.  Then it become a spiritual battle.  “…Fight against them that fight against me.”  And I’ve had to claim that promise many times within the Church down through the years.  And God has always delivered us from every single one of the problems.  But if I’d have gone out and tried to exercise my carnal power I would have been slaughtered. 

“Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.  Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation” (vs. 2-3).  Now I want you to see how closely this ties in with 2 Corinthians 12 and Paul relying upon God and the power of the Holy Spirit rather than in his own carnal means.  And always remember, as I have said, you cannot accomplish spiritual things with carnal means.  It cannot be done.

“Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.  Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.  Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them.  For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.  Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.  And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in His salvation” (vs. 4-9). 

Now notice he’s not joying in the fact that his enemy is defeated by God, which he’s happy and thankful that God is the one Who has done it.  But he joys in God.  Even when an enemy falls don’t rejoice in that.  Because we are to love our enemies.  Rejoice in the fact that God is the one Who fought the battle.  Nevertheless, is this not the attitude of David?  Is this not a key to David in trusting God for power?  And trusting God to fight his battles?  And this is why the Philadelphians are commended for what they do because  they trust in God. 

“All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto Thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?” Then it blends right on in to some of the prophecies concerning Christ.  Now we’ll finish here with verse 11.  “False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not.  They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul.  But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom” (vs. 10-13).  In other words he had his prayers answered because he looked to God rather than out there fighting the enemy.

Now, we covered Psalm 34 during the days of unleavened bread.  As a matter of fact the last holy day, that God delivers us out of all of our troubles.  Now let’s go back and see how this applies to the Philadelphians here.  And how important this is.  Back here in Revelation 3, and let’s look more concerning the Philadelphians and their attitude.  

Now verse 9. “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan…”  Now what is the synagogue of Satan?  I will just give you a very brief review of it.  I’ll try and cover it when I bring the sermon on the United Nations that’s coming.  Especially what they’re planning this fall.  It’s going to stand your hair on end. 

The synagogue of Satan consists of all those in the world who are the rich, who are the powerful, who worship and serve Satan to accomplish his plan on this earth.  It is called by Dr. Coleman, The Committee of 300.  It includes a cross section of all governments, all religions, economics, politics.  And in the book that I’m going to bring my reference out of, it is called Diplomacy By Deception.  And that will answer how Satan is able to deceive the whole world. 

So what the Philadelphians are commended for is this:  that in the face of the synagogue of Satan, “…which say they are Jews and are not…”  It’s not to referring just to Jews only, but to all of those who claim that they have the right way for the right society, for the right religion, for the right salvation, and all of that’s included in the coming one world government and one world religion.  So that’s quite a sweeping statement here.  They “…are not, but do lie…”  And that’s why Diplomacy By Deception is so profound, because everything that is this whole one world government and one world religion is coming to is based upon a lie.  And many lies.  And some of the legislation that’s being put through congress, and right here in California and yea in every state in America, and around the world are legislated things to implement the United Nations standard for education, for conduct of society, for children, for adults, for law.  And there’s going to be a world court that’s going to come up, which then will make it possible through treaty through the United Nations for someone to be arrested in a country, say like the United States, and taken to Rome to be put on trial for hate crimes by speaking against the Catholic church, or the Jews, or the Buddhists, or the United Nations. 

So the true Philadelphians resist all of this.  Now notice God is going to turn the tables.  He’s going to make them come and worship before our feet.  And the word there “worship” means “worship”.  Notice.  “…Behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”  Now you see this is very important because Christ loves those who love Him, though God loves the whole world.  But this is talking to the Church, and this is the special love that comes from God.  This is a special love back to God.  And if we do the things that are pleasing in His sight, He loves us.  And He gives a promise that everyone wants.  And everyone thinks that this is going to a place of safety.  Now it may or may not.  Now if you don’t have the tape, “The Temptation to Try The Whole World”, be sure and write for that because I think you are going to be very surprised. 

Let’s read it, verse 10.  “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience [or patiently kept My word]…”  Now what is involved in love?  Keeping the word of God.  Keeping the commandments of God.  Let me give you an example in marriage, in faithfulness.  You’re married.  We had a wedding here two weeks ago.  And the vows that they took to enter into covenant to God - to love each other, to be faithful to each other.  For the husband to provide for the wife.  For the wife to submit herself to her husband.  For the husband to love her, and for them to become one flesh.  Now then.  If a couple so married continue in that - then they are faithfully, patiently through thick and thin, through trial and difficulty, through disappointments and arguments, through triumphs and failures - they have faithfully and patiently kept their covenant with Christ. 

Now then, if on the other hand as some of the other churches have done, lost their first love, held the doctrine of Balaam, the doctrine of Nicolaitans, the doctrine of Jezebel, the depths of Satan - they have not faithfully, patiently kept the word of God.  Which means that they were lacking in their love to God.  See, because if you patiently keep His word that means you are keeping His commandments.  No question about it.  Now let’s  just enter in one scripture here for this.  Let’s go to 1 John 5.  I’m afraid we’ll have to enter in a couple more here.  We need to just to have the scriptural proof of it here.  Now this ties right in with the whole attitude of the Philadelphians.

1 John 5:2, “By this we know [and it means “by this standard” or “by this means” or “this way”] that we love the children of God…”  And if you love the children of God what is that?  Brotherly love, is it not?  And does not Philadelphia mean the church of brotherly love?  So this ties right in it.  We know that we love the children of God “…when we love God, and keep His commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:2-3).

Now let’s come to the gospel of John 14, and let’s see how Christ also explained it here.  Because it is…wait till we get to the church at Laodicea and I’ll read something that will just literally blow your mind. 

John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If…”I’ve got that circled in my Bible, you might want to do it in yours.  There is the condition - if.  And that’s very important.  The condition is upon us.  The condition is not upon God.  God is true, God cannot lie.  God will not lie.  God is love.  God is truth.  God is all powerful, etc.  So the condition is upon us because it is our choice to make.  “If a man love Me [that is Christ], he will keep My words…”  And isn’t that what is said of the Philadelphains, “you have patiently kept My word”?  Yes.  “…And My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with Him.”  Meaning that through the power of the Holy Spirit, you have the Spirit of Christ in you and you have the Spirit of begettal from the Father, which then is the two-fold action of the Holy Spirit within you. 

Verse 24, very key.  “He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings…”  Which means then you can’t pick and choose what you are going to do or what you won’t do according to the word of God, because as we will see later, that is part of the mystery of iniquity.  “He that loveth me not keepeth not My sayings…”  So if a person says, “I love the Lord, come to church on Sunday.”  He doesn’t love God.  He may think he does.  He may have a feeling in his heart, but he doesn’t have faith based upon the facts of the truth of God.  So he truly has a religion of opinion because first you must keep the words of God, and keep His sayings.  Since Christ was the LORD God of the Old Testament, this means what?  Everything that’s in the Old Testament that applies to us today, as well as everything in the New Testament.  Now let’s read on.  And here’s a warning.  “…And the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me.”  So that becomes very profound and important for us to understand.

Now let’s come to Matthew 10 here for just a minute and let’s see something else that’s important concerning that.  Talks about we have not denied the name of Christ.  So the Philadelphian has not denied His name, has not denied Christ, faithfully kept the word of God, and you see that’s why God is going to decide who the Philadelphians are.  No church name.  No human proclamation, because it is a spiritual thing that takes place. 

Now let’s read here, Matthew 10:32.  “Whosoever therefore, shall confess Me before men, Him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33).  Now that is straightforward isn’t it?  It doesn’t take any great interpretation, does it?  It means that.  So when the Philadelphians are commended for not denying His name that means that they have always stood for His name. 

Now verse 34, in spite of all the conflict here, you see.  “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  And a man’s foes shall be those of his own household” (vs. 34-36).  Because truth divides as well as unites.  But first it must divide you from the carnal reality of this world into the spiritual truth of God. 

Now verse 37.  “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me” That’s why the Philadelphians are commended that in spite of their weaknesses they rely upon the strength of God for their spiritual strength and success.  Verse 39, “He that findeth his life shall lose it [now this will tie right back in to the temptation that comes upon the whole earth]: and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it” (vs. 37-39).

Now let’s go back to Revelation 3.  Now I know some of this is basic, and some of this is more detailed and for a higher level if some of this is new to you.  But I’ll try and make it as clear as I can here.  Now verse 10, let’s read it again.  “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience [or patiently kept My word], I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation…”  Now temptation is an entirely different thing than tribulation.  Let’s look and see what kind of temptation this is.  “…Keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world…”  Now please understand something concerning Revelation.  When it says “all the world” it means all the world.  And the fulfillment will be in our day, today.  “…come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.” 

Now with all of the globalization that we have…I saw last night on the news concerning the economics in China and why it’s such a wonderful thing that we have the trade thing with China.  And it showed a Chinese building with a McDonald’s sign.  And I thought “one world society”.  That’s what it all is.  And what was the rational for approving this treaty?  “Well we can influence them more and show them our way of life if we are engaged with them.”  Which in a sense is true.  But you see what is happening in that, in one sermon here not too far back, the whole world is being Babylonianized.  And it’s going to be a whole one world thing.  And it’s coming.