He Who has Ears to Hear


	Chapter Eleven He who has Ears to Hear Part One In Romans 10:17, the Bible states: *“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”* The substance of our faith is entirely dependent upon the Word of God and that the heart of the believer would be filled with the personal knowledge of his own sin and the personal payment that our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth paid through His own shed blood. “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Corinthians 6:20) “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:22-23) Yes, my brothers in Christ, we were bought with a terrible price when the Son of God who dwelt among us made His soul an offering for our sins. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe upon his name.” (John 1:12) The fate of all men lay in the simple concept of belief or disbelief in the Holy Scriptures. Yet so few will walk through the strait and narrow gait with most marching blindly along the broad way that leads unto destruction. These are those that do not have ears to hear, and have no understanding of His Word. Jesus came into the world that the world through Him would have eternal life: “I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." John 12:46-48 The Pharisees stood before the Lord as they sought to kill Him and the Lord Jesus replied unto them that the reason they sought to kill Him was because the could not *“hear”* His Word: “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. . . Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. . . He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” John 8: 37, 43 & 47 Likewise is the same answer for those that cannot *“hear”* the words of truth in the Revelation of Jesus Christ which is most often simply called “The Revelation.” It is to be understood as all of the other Scriptures, simply through prayer and supplication and by comparing “spiritual to spiritual.” (I Corinthians 2:13) The Bible so states in Isaiah 28: 9-13: “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned form the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared and taken.” All that reject the Word of God will be without excuse on the day of judgment when they will meet their maker and give an account of everything that they have done in their bodies whether good or bad. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” (II Corinthians 5:10-11) Those that are blinded to the loving gospel of Christ will come before Him with weeping and gnashing of the teeth. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31) They will miss the blessing of eternal life and the joy of the Lord for only not believing on the only name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Of even equal sadness are all the born again children of God who will miss the blessing promised to all who have ears to hear in the book of Revelation because of the *“leaven of the Pharisees”* that has caused this book to falsely be called “mysterious” and “beyond the literal or logical” understanding of men: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” The book of Revelation of Jesus Christ is given in understanding to those that hear His voice and that will not follow the voice of “strangers.” “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” John 10: 1-5 This is therefore the pure doctrine of interpretation for the entire Bible including the book of Revelation. We must simply first put our faith and trust in His truth and compare spiritual to spiritual, precept upon precept and line upon line as we do anywhere else in the Holy Scriptures. The book of Revelation is not a separate work unto itself, and in fact, without the rest of the Scriptures, there would be no understanding possible. It is a book of prophecy. Yet so in fact is every page, every word and every letter of the Old and New Testaments a book of prophecy. In Psalms 119: 89, the Lord tells us: *“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”* Every Bible character, every person mentioned anywhere in the Scriptures was already settled *“for ever”* before the foundations of the earth were laid. The entire Bible is a prophetic book when viewed from this perspective. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) In addition, every instance recorded in the New Testament of an Old Testament Scripture that was fulfilled by the Lord or His disciples, it was a true, literal fulfillment. Search the Scriptures whether these things be so and prove all things and hold fast that which is good, and you will personally see this simple truth. Why then would we expect anything to be different when we search the Scriptures found in the Revelation? In fact, the whole purpose of Bible prophecy is to show to the world the true living God in a manner that no other pagan god can fulfill. In such, the essential purpose of ALL prophecies is for the true and literal evidence of God’s power and manifest glory. How then can any claim that which does not support the truth of the true literal fulfillment of the book of “this prophecy” any less than the true literal fulfillment of any prophecy: “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,” Isaiah 46:9 God proves that He alone is God in one way through Bible prophecy. There is no other religion that has this character. It is in a sense, one of the “fingerprints” of God that Satan cannot duplicate. “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Isaiah 46:10 God declares the proof of who He is and what His Word is through Bible prophecy. “Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.” Isaiah 46:11 NO other religion has absolute proof as God has offered through Bible prophecy and with so many other infallible proofs. Prophecy is simply the telling of history before it occurs. This is only by the providence of the living God. There are no others that can do the same, no matter what some may claim. The prophets of God were such that they had 100% accuracy. If a single prophecy, no matter how small did not come to pass exactly as foretold, that prophet was to be put to death and his works discarded. (Deuteronomy 18:22) When king Nebuchadnezzar called forth all of his magicians, and the astrologers and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to show him his dream, they answered him that only the gods could answer such a request: “The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.” Daniel 2:10-11 PROPHECY: A foretelling; prediction; a declaration of something to come. As God only knows future events with certainty, no being but God or some person informed by him, can utter a real prophecy. The prophecies recorded in Scripture, when fulfilled, afford most convincing evidence of the divine original of the Scriptures, as those who uttered the prophecies could not have foreknown the event predicted without supernatural instruction. (II Peter 1: 19-21) (The Noah Webster 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language) Therefore, the events of Revelation chapters two and three foretell the history of the entire church age from the time of the apostles to our times of toleration and lukewarm, unrepentant “worship” of our Lord. Just as any other prophecy, the book of Revelation in these two chapters will tell the history of this time before it happens. From the perspective of our current age, we have the decided advantage of two thousand years of church history to show us the true literal fulfillment of His Word. Such is the perfection and clearly detailed account of this prophecy that Satan has mustered an army of religious “Pharisees” to confuse and confound the simple truths of this book. Any search of the resources available for teaching the book of Revelation can indeed overwhelm the earnest student of this book. Yet, the Lord tells us simply “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” More so than perhaps any other book of the Bible, straying to the seductive voice of strangers will lead the sheep astray and on to the path to disbelief of the literal fulfillment of *“this prophecy.”* From the book of Genesis, the Psalms, the prophets, the gospels, and the epistles, the book of Revelation draws the clear meaning to the majority of the “apocalyptic” symbols found in this prophecy. Perhaps the single most important Old Testament book that gives witness to the book of Revelation is that of Daniel the prophet. Without the complete Word of God, the book of Revelation would be as its accusers claim, an undecipherable and an unintelligible spiritual hodgepodge of mythical beasts, curses and vengeance. Yet, in the light of God’s Word, those that “KEEP THOSE THINGS THAT ARE WRITTEN THEREIN” can and will find great meaning and great blessing that is not promised with the reading and understanding of any other book in the Bible. As we approach the time that *“Is,”* found in chapters two and three of the Revelation, recognizing that the “Faithful Witness” has already defined this as the time from the Lord’s first coming until His second coming, then we can very simply search the history of the last two thousand years to see if indeed this prophecy is true and accurate. As such, the most complete and spirit filled account that I am aware of for the two thousand years of church history is a work entitled “The Trail of Blood” by J. M. Carroll. By the grace of the Lord who has supplied this work for our generation to glean a clear view of His church that the gates of hell have not prevailed against, we can simply juxtapose the Scriptures from Revelation chapters two and three with this work as further illuminated by Scriptures throughout the entire Bible. In so doing, the magnificence of God’s Holy Word declaring plainly the simple truths of the true church and the forces of Satan that have fought against the Lord and His Word for all these centuries is determinedly precise and discerning of the inward secrets hidden away by "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH." (Revelation 17:5) There are a myriad of Bible commentaries on the book of Revelation. I will focus briefly on two that recognize the literal fulfillment of the seven churches as the seven successive church ages during the times that *“are.”* However, even with these two commentators, there is considerable diversity of opinion in their interpretations of the time lines for each church age. Where do we draw the true time course when considering these prophecies? What is the correct method for determining the truth of these prophecies? The answer is the same as we have already discussed and reviewed in several other places in this self study course; simply from the Word of God alone, comparing precept upon precept, line upon line, and specifically: comparing *“spiritual to spiritual.”* This is the single most important step. From the Scriptures alone do we start our search for the truth. There is no spiritual understanding and no heavenly wisdom gained by comparing spiritual with earthly. We must further be on guard at all times against the *“leaven of the Pharisees”* which is the false doctrines of men. “How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16: 11-12) In Matthew 15: 1-9, the Pharisees came to Jesus and accused His disciples of transgressing the tradition of the elders. The Lord replied: “. . . Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Therefore, the unwary student of the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ is well warned to avoid the teachings of men that make the commandments of God of none effect whether it is by intention or unintentional. It is still the duty of all believers to test those teachings by the Word of God alone. (I Thessalonians 5:21) One of the most popular writers on “dispensational truth” is Clarence Larkin. The following list summarizes his timetable for the seven successive church ages: Clarence Larkin, The Greatest Book on Dispensational Truth In the World (1918) Ephesian: 70 to 170 AD; "the backslidden church" Smyrna: 170 to 312; "the persecuted church" Pergamite: 312 to 606; "the licentious church" Thyatiran: 606 to 1520; "a lax church" Sardian: 1520 to 1750; "a dead church" Philadelphian: 1750 to 1900; "a favored church" Laodicean: 1900 to the end; "a lukewarm church" Likewise, Henry Morris in the Revelation Record published in 1983 gave his timeline of these seven church ages. There is general agreement with the majority of their outlines. Clearly, the definition of the “Apostolic age” is well declared and limited by the death of Jesus and His resurrection until the end of this church age by the death of John the apostle. Clarence Larkin sets a later date for the end of this age. However, there is a general consensus on the remaining six church ages by these two authors. Henry Morris, The Revelation Record (1983) Ephesus Apostolic Age Before AD 100 Smyrna Age of Persecution 100 to 313 AD Pergamos Imperial Church Age 313 to 590 Thyatira Age of Papacy 590 to 1517 Sardis Reformation Age 1517 to 1730 Philadelphia Missionary Age 1730 to 1900 Laodicea Age of Apostasy 1900 to? Nevertheless, there are several areas of concern that do not line up with the very well known history of the church over these many centuries and by reasoning from the Holy Scriptures. Specifically, I take exception to the assertion that the start of the “Reformation” was at or around 1520 AD. This is the time of Luther and the German Reformation but it totally excludes the preceding two hundred years of acts of sheer heroism by such people as Wycliffe, John Hus and the Lollards who were burned in Smithfield leaving the legacy of the “Lollard Pit” so called from the hundreds of born again Christians who willingly gave their lives for the truth of God’s Holy Word. The Reformation was a direct result of the Roman Catholic’s terrible Inquisition and the removal of the Bible from the common man. The Inquisition was initiated by Pope Leo the III in 1216 AD which was immediately followed by the taking of the Bible away from the “layman” in 1229 AD by his nephew, Pope Gregory the IX. Jesus promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against his church. John Wycliffe was the most noted scholar of his age who translated the first complete English Bible. This sparked a revival in England that even Satan’s henchmen in the Roman Catholic Church could not contain. Revival spread from the island nation of Britain to the continent of Europe well over two hundred years before anyone had ever heard of Luther or Calvin. Therefore, placing the starting point of the reformation in 1520 AD is not congruent with the history of this age. I submit the following proposed timeline for all to carefully and prayerfully consider. In such, there are some simple observations that need to be revealed. First, for sake of the brevity of the list, I have placed a starting and ending date for each church age just as have the other two authors. Yet a concerted study of the Revelation chapters two and three must conclude that each church age has a very defined starting point, but each one of the seven church ages subsequently continues until the second coming of the Lord. By example, the church of Ephesus is commended for trying those that say they are apostles and found them to be liars. But even unto today, the Mormons, some “Pentecostal” churches and the Roman Catholic Church all adhere to the doctrine of modern day prophets and apostles in their midst today. The so called apostolic succession is nothing but a lie and deception of the devil that all true Christians should be wary of. Likewise, the persecutions in the second and third centuries of the church continue on today in places such as China, the Sudan and most all of the Muslim nations. Thus, each church age has a specific time of onset, but they all end with the second coming of our Lord, the rapture or the tribulation period, thus confirming again the times that *“are.”* Peter Laird, America and King James in the Revelation - Bible Prophecy Course (2005) Ephesus - The time of the apostles from 33 to 100 AD Smyrna - The time of persecution from 100 to 313 AD Pergamus - The marriage with the pagan world from 313 to 451 AD Thyatira - The adulterous church from 452 to 1229 AD Sardis - The dead church from 1229 to 1611 AD Philadelphia - The keeper of the Word from 1611 to 1900 AD Laodicians - The lukewarm church from 1900 to the Second Coming A second issue that must be clarified at the onset is that of including the dates for the counterfeit Satanic enemies of the true church in this list and in fact dating several of these church ages not by the people of God, but instead by the timeline of the pagan false church in Rome. This does not in any manner diminish the details of the true believers in each church age. It likewise does not diminish the wonder of the preservation of God’s Holy Word throughout all of the persecutions through the centuries. It does instead illustrate the attack against God’s people and God’s Word throughout the last two millennia. To understand the delineation of a specific church by the enemies of that church is best illustrated by a careful analysis of *“the kingdom of heaven”* and the parables first of all from Matthew chapter 13. There is one most puzzling parable: “Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” Matthew 13:33 Throughout the entire Bible, leaven is a symbol for sin. The Israelis were commanded to keep the feast of unleavened bread as well as the Passover where leavened bread was forbidden. Why then would the Lord give a parable about the *“kingdom of heaven”* with a woman who mixes leaven into three measures of meal until all is leavened? Who is the woman? What is the leaven? And what are the three measures of meal? The Bible gives clear directions for all interpretations in the Scriptures as we have already discussed. Knowing first that every word is established by two or three witnesses and these witnesses can not be contradictory. Knowing, therefore, that leaven throughout the Bible always represents sin and false doctrine leads to the simple understanding that the woman therefore can not be of God as she is leavening His kingdom. How can it be possible that His kingdom could be leavened or simply stained by sin? These are difficult issues to comprehend unless we take these verses as part of a warning to the church of God to be separate from the things of this world and the things of Belial. Likewise, trying to understand the course of events occurring in the pagan church as the Bible very clearly teaches in Revelation chapters two and three is equally hard to understand until we recognize that the Lord is giving us another witness of Satan’s attack against the kingdom of heaven. To understand how the woman in this parable could represent the pagan, *MYSTERY BABYLON,* sun god religion we must first understand that the Scriptures that speak of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the Son of man are all simply speaking of the same thing, the kingdom of believers of the new covenant given through His gospel: “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. . .Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12: 23-24 & 28) This issue alone makes for a very detailed study in itself, but here in these verses, the Lord speaks of the church of the firstborn, the new covenant and the kingdom all as one. A second witness to this is found in Colossians: “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. . . Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature. . . And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” Colossians 1: 2, 12-15 & 18 Just as we saw from the book of Hebrews, Paul here in Colossians speaks of the inheritance, the kingdom of the Son and the church of the firstborn. The kingdom of God is the inheritance of the saints unto eternal life: “But onto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. . . Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1: 8 & 14) Here, the Scriptures tell of the Father speaking to the Son and calling Him God whose throne is for “ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” The inheritance for the saints is that as the “heirs of salvation” through the blood of the Son. The kingdom of the Son is in heaven and His throne is His Father’s throne: “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. . . And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” (Revelation 4:2 & 5:6) Jesus is God and there is only one throne of God in heaven. It is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world who sits in the middle of the throne of God in heaven. We are required to walk worthy of God, and of *“his”* kingdom that He has called us into. (I Thessalonians 2:12) Paul gave thanks unto his *“Lord”* (Jesus) who will preserve him unto *“his”* heavenly kingdom: “And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (II Timothy 4:18) The “Lord” in this verse refers to the Son whose *“throne, O God, is for ever and ever.”* Therefore, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of the Son are all one and the same. As we develop the central theme of this essay further, we will revisit this issue to show that indeed the kingdom of heaven, God and the Son of man, the new covenant in the church of the New Testament are all synonymous terms despite a multitude of theological writings stating differently. “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” (Hebrews 9:15) Thus, Revelation chapters two and three are a warning of the MYSTERY BABYON sun god religion that will afflict the children of God throughout the centuries. We are commanded to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The Lord warns us that we perish for lack of knowledge. The wicked and the just shall be separated at the end of this age (the church age of the New Testament). If we are to have eyes to see and ears to hear, we must examine all traditions and doctrines within our churches and our homes to test whether they are of the Word of God. Baal worship remains in full force today. How many marvel at the “Lady of all nations” known also to them as the “Queen of Heaven” without comprehending the sinister heart of evil wickedness by this doctrine. Listen to the words of an old preacher from a century ago and *“let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.”* Return to Home Page (www.kjv1611revealed.com)