“Insert From Chapter 1 – ³ Happy is the one who reads this book, and happy are those who listen to the words of this prophetic message and obey what is written in this book! For the time is near when all these things will happen.”

Chapter Two: The Message to Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

“This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands. ² I know what you have done; I know how hard you have worked and how patient you have been. I know that you cannot tolerate evil people and that you have tested those who say they are apostles but are not, and have found out that they are liars. ³ You are patient, you have suffered for my sake, and you have not given up. ⁴ But this is what I have against you: you do not love me now as you did at first. ⁵ Think how far you have fallen! Turn from your sins and do what you did at first. If you don’t turn from your sins, I will come to you and take your lampstand from its place. ⁶ But this is what you have in your favor: you hate what the Nicolaitans do, as much as I do.

⁷ “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

“To those who win the victory I will give the right to eat the fruit of the tree of life that grows in the Garden of God.

The Message to Smyrna

⁸ “To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

“This is the message from the one who is the first and the last, who died and lived again. ⁹ I know your troubles; I know that you are poor—but really you are rich! I know the evil things said against you by those who claim to be Jews but are not; they are a group that belongs to Satan! ¹⁰ Don’t be afraid of anything you are about to suffer. Listen! The Devil will put you to the test by having some of you thrown into prison, and your troubles will last ten days. Be faithful to me, even if it means death, and I will give you life as your prize of victory.

¹¹ “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

“Those who win the victory will not be hurt by the second death.

The Message to Pergamum

¹² “To the angel of the church in Pergamum write:

“This is the message from the one who has the sharp two-edged sword. ¹³ I know where you live, there where Satan has his throne. You are true to me, and you did not abandon your faith in me even during the time when Antipas, my faithful witness, was killed there where Satan lives. ¹⁴ But there are a few things I have against you: there are some among you who follow the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak how to lead the people of Israel into sin by persuading them to eat food that had been offered to idols and to practice sexual immorality. ¹⁵ In the same way you have people among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Now turn from your sins! If you don’t, I will come to you soon and fight against those people with the sword that comes out of my mouth.

¹⁷ “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

“To those who win the victory I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone on which is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

“To those who win the victory I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone on which is written a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it.

The Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write:

“This is the message from the Son of God, whose eyes blaze like fire, whose feet shine like polished brass. ¹⁹ I know what you do. I know your love, your faithfulness, your service, and your patience. I know that you are doing more now than you did at first. ²⁰ But this is what I have against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a messenger of God. By her teaching she misleads my servants into practicing sexual immorality and eating food that has been offered to idols. ²¹ I have given her time to repent of her sins, but she does not want to turn from her immorality. ²² And so I will throw her on a bed where she and those who committed adultery with her will suffer terribly. I will do this now unless they repent of the wicked things they did with her. ²³ I will also kill her followers, and then all the churches will know that I am the one who knows everyone’s thoughts and wishes. I will repay each of you according to what you have done.

²⁴ “But the rest of you in Thyatira have not followed this evil teaching; you have not learned what the others call ‘the deep secrets of Satan.’ I say to you that I will not put any other burden on you. ²⁵ But until I come, you must hold firmly to what you have. ^26-28 To those who win the victory, who continue to the end to do what I want, I will give the same authority that I received from my Father: I will give them authority over the nations, to rule them with an iron rod and to break them to pieces like clay pots. I will also give them the morning star.

²⁹ “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!

https://gafvntv.org/watch-live-gafv-tv/

For the time is near when all these things will happen.

1 This book is the record of the events that Jesus Christ revealed. God gave him this revelation in order to show to his servants what must happen very soon. Christ made these things known to his servant John by sending his angel to him, ² and John has told all that he has seen. This is his report concerning the message from God and the truth revealed by Jesus Christ. ³ Happy is the one who reads this book, and happy are those who listen to the words of this prophetic message and obey what is written in this book! For the time is near when all these things will happen.

Greetings to the Seven Churches

⁴ From John to the seven churches in the province of Asia:

Grace and peace be yours from God, who is, who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits in front of his throne, ⁵ and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first to be raised from death and who is also the ruler of the kings of the world.

He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he has freed us from our sins ⁶ and made us a kingdom of priests to serve his God and Father. To Jesus Christ be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

⁷ Look, he is coming on the clouds! Everyone will see him, including those who pierced him. All peoples on earth will mourn over him. So shall it be!

⁸ “I am the first and the last,” says the Lord God Almighty, who is, who was, and who is to come.

A Vision of Christ

⁹ I am John, your brother, and as a follower of Jesus I am your partner in patiently enduring the suffering that comes to those who belong to his Kingdom. I was put on the island of Patmos because I had proclaimed God’s word and the truth that Jesus revealed. ¹⁰ On the Lord’s day the Spirit took control of me, and I heard a loud voice, that sounded like a trumpet, speaking behind me. ¹¹ It said, “Write down what you see, and send the book to the churches in these seven cities: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”

¹² I turned around to see who was talking to me, and I saw seven gold lampstands, ¹³ and among them there was what looked like a human being, wearing a robe that reached to his feet, and a gold band around his chest. ¹⁴ His hair was white as wool, or as snow, and his eyes blazed like fire; ¹⁵ his feet shone like brass that has been refined and polished, and his voice sounded like a roaring waterfall. ¹⁶ He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth. His face was as bright as the midday sun. ¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. He placed his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the first and the last. ¹⁸ I am the living one! I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I have authority over death and the world of the dead. ¹⁹ Write, then, the things you see, both the things that are now and the things that will happen afterward. ²⁰ Here is the secret meaning of the seven stars that you see in my right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

By Dave Daubenmire| May 19th, 2022

This is the most critical moment in the history of the American church. We are doomed to 1000 years of darkness if the Church does not stand up.  The curse of abortion is about to be expunged.  Churches must arise NOW!

Here is a stern warning to pastors. Write it off if you like. The folks in the pew are greatly dissatisfied. I hear it when I speak in churches and I hear it every time I write a commentary. Churches are hemorrhaging members and sadly, the leadership wants to blame the sheep. A good coach never blames the players. The sheep are a reflection of the shepherd.

Pastors are coaches. They deal with people. Most successful coaches have a very firm set of fundamentals by which they operate. They are not running a popularity contest; they are leading a team. A good coach will tell you that the best way to get your butt beat is to compromise on what you believe. MANY have emailed me asking, “What should we do, Coach? Our pastor won’t preach the hard truth anymore. It is all the “feel-good” stuff. We are starving for TRUTH” [See: “Enemies Within: The Church” DVD]

I am often accused of pointing out problems but rarely offering solutions. Well, you asked for it, so I will tell you what I think. This is risky because the “Church of the Status Quo” and her apostles are sure to attack you. They will accuse you of criticizing the local church and church bashing. But you should love them enough to tell them the Truth.

Paul said it this way, “Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” My dad was a great guy but little things used to drive him crazy. One of the things that used to bug him the most was when he would come home from the factory in the winter and the fire in the fireplace was barely burning. He would grab the poker and turn to one of us and say,

“How many times do I have to tell you that you can’t lay a big log on top of the fire or you will smother it? A big log will only burn if there is a good base of hot coals burning underneath. You can’t start a fire with a big log.” So here is the analogy. The pastor is the log and those sitting in the pews are the kindling, the little wood that sets the big log on fire. For too long we have tried to convince the big log that he needed to catch on fire. Every time a spark was lit in the pew he would roll over and smother the flame. “Wild fire” is the one thing the big logs hate. The big logs want “natural-gas” fires on which they can control the flame.

“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.” –Samuel Adams.

Okay, Mr. Kindling-Wood, you have a decision you are going to have to make. Are you sick and tired enough to come out of your comfort zone and begin to set little brush- fires? If you are not willing to make a stand then you have no reason to complain. It is time to stop waiting on the big log to set the rest of you on fire. As my friend Pete, once said “Our leaders will never see the light until we turn up the heat.”

Here are a few things to do to change the temperature in your church. (Warning: You will be called all kinds of names by your “brothers in Christ.”)  They will say that you shouldn’t bring politics into the church… it only brings discord. But you’re not sowing discord. You are asking questions. It is a church BODY not a monarchy. Pastors deserve your respect, not blind allegiance.  So, here are some ideas.

1. Stop calling your elected officials and start calling your pastor. Every time you see something that your local church should be concerned about, call your pastor and ask him a very simple question: “Pastor, what is our church going to do about it?” His response will tell you a lot about him. Do it privately at first as the Scriptures teach.
2. Don’t let him “wiggle off of the hook.” Follow up in a day or two and see if he has progressed in his plan to oppose evil. Let him know that you have shared your concern with others in the congregation and that they are waiting to hear his response as well.
3. Tell him you have decided to go to the school board (as an example of an issue that you might have brought to him) and ask him if he will go with you.
4. Continue to email and hard copy him on information germane to the topic. Be persistent. Don’t let him say later that “he didn’t know.”
5. After a hard sermon, make sure that you let him know that you appreciate what he had to say. Then ask this, “Pastor, what can I do to help you fight this in our community?” (Be careful, he may start quaking but let him know you are serious.)

Note: You are creating a sense of accountability here. Demand that he walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Let him know you are expecting his leadership, as are others.

• If he rarely preaches a hard sermon ask, “Pastor, I haven’t heard a sermon on the sins of abortion, homosexuality, and pornography recently, but do you have one planned?” Let him know it is important to you and continue to bring it up. Write notes to him. He will hate it.
• Ask him who he is voting for in the next election and why. If he is voting for a pro-abort, or homo-sympathizer point it out to him. If he says he doesn’t think he should share his personal political beliefs, please ask him why. Ask him if his personal beliefs are different from those he preaches. It is important to know what he believes.
• Get your hands on videos and books and begin to educate YOURSELF on what is going on. Be like the Bereans who checked things out for themselves. Forward good stuff to him. CC the elder board.
• Start a fellowship in your home with like-minded folks. Ask the leadership to support it. You would think they would encourage the assembling together of the saints but usually, that means only where they can have you in a controlled environment. Leading a Bible Study will stretch you and make you more equipped to share your faith with others. This is a good thing. But, be warned that the pastor may try to turn it into a controlled “small group” that is more about building horizontal relationships among each other rather than a vertical relationship with God.
• Withhold your financial support if he refuses to preach against sin. He may say something like, “We preach the LOVE of Jesus.” Tell your pastor that you are going to give your money to a ministry that is preaching “the whole-counsel of God.” Follow the Biblical edict to “sow into good soil.” Many culturally active ministries could use the help.
• If he doesn’t encourage his flock to carry Bibles to church, please ask him why. It may be that he wants to use several versions (possibly up on a screen) that can cause confusion. Ask him if he would hire a carpenter who came to work without a hammer.
• Offer to start a “community watch-dog” ministry in the church to keep an eye on issues affecting Christians. Ask for his endorsement.
• Offer to start a co-op for home educators and ask if the church would support you. If your pastor doesn’t want to “offend the government school teachers” in his flock, then that is a red flag.
• Ask him if Christians should vote for local school levies and why? Begin to share information about the dangers of public schools.
• Be prepared to leave your church. The answers that you get may not satisfy you. For the sake of your soul and the souls of your family find a church that is walking in the Truth.

It is time to turn up the heat. Those big logs will never burn until the kindling starts to glow red. Jesus warned us: “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.” Accountability is a two-way street. Stop complaining about the lukewarm preaching. Put up or shut up. Light a fire and watch it spread. The big log will either catch your fire or roll on down the road! Snap, crackle, and pop. [See: “Enemies Within: The Church” DVD] Our window of opportunity is now. We can never win with lukewarm leadership. Lukewarm Leaders can never stand up to evil crooked politicians. America needs the pulpits to blaze. It is our only hope.

© 2022 Dave Daubenmire – All Rights Reserved

E-Mail Dave Daubenmire: ptsalt@gmail.com