Lesson 5: Stand By Me

Revelation Lesson 5: Can you lose your salvation?

Last week we dove into the complexities of when the Rapture may occur (before, during, or at the end of the Tribulation period).  Directly related to that is if Christians can lose their salvation.  An important point if we are in fact enduring the "end times".

This sparked great conversation during the Sunday School class, and so I thought I would venture into this space a little further before moving on into the opening of seals (Revelation 6).

Before we begin, remember I reserve the right of the Holy Spirit to change my mind on all things Biblical.  I repeat that because I've uncovered a few nuances to the verbiage of "lose" your salvation that I'll highlight later in this post.  Let's begin.

First, let's establish what Salvation is.

Salvation is spiritual deliverance from the consequence of sin.

CONSEQUENCE: Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

DELIVERANCE: John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Now we establish why we even have salvation (beyond God's love mentioned above).

Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

GRACE: God’s unmerited favor and merciful kindness.

• There is nothing we can do to “earn” God’s grace.
• There is nothing we can do to “lose” God’s grace.
• God’s grace is for EVERYONE.

Now please do not try to apply human logic to the Living God.  We can never fully understand His Grace, Love and Wisdom.  So you can get lost trying to understand a grace or love of this magnitude since we can not fathom that with our feeble little minds.  Our real understandings of grace and love are based on our human experiences - they just don't equate.

So then the question becomes, what do we need for salvation? (note I didn't yet say what we need to do...).

We need three things.

• Knowledge – in some way, shape, or form we must have an understanding of God and Jesus.
• Assent – must agree that this ‘knowledge’ is true.
• Faith – personal commitment and acceptance that this is the route to eternal salvation. 

Please note: Even pagans have Knowledge (and maybe even Assent) and that Satan and his demons have both Knowledge and Assent.  It is Faith is that makes you different.

So what is Faith? The Greek word used in the New Testament for faith is "pistis".  It means in relation to God, the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ. And in relation to Christ it means, a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.

Hebrews 11:1 sums it up nicely. "Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Faith, Trust, and Belief are nouns (things you have). Trust and Believe are verbs (things you do).  Faith, Trust, and Belief are tightly coupled and used synonymously throughout the New Testament.

And what does the word "believe" mean in the Bible?  The Greek "pisteuo" means: accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth, To have faith. Used in the NT, of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul. To trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith.  Trust is a firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

Faith and Believe are used in the Bible about 250 times each. Check out these verses for some good examples. (1 John 5:13, Luke 7:50, Acts 26:18, Mark 16:15-16, Romans 10:10, and Romans 3:28).

So now we get to what you actually have to do for your salvation.  Many will tell you the answer is nothing.  I disagree slightly based on semantics.  If someone tells you that you can not "earn" your salvation, and by that they mean it doesn't matter how often you go to church or how many lessons you teach or if you have this really cool blog...  then they are right.  Church attendance, good deeds, memorizing the Bible, and such will not grant you salvation.  No matter how much you do.  This is really tied to the Grace of Salvation.  You can not earn God's Grace.  That he freely gives to all.  It is his Gift.

But, you do actually have to "do" something here.  You can not be a lump on a log.  Remember the three things (Knowledge, Assent, Faith)?

• You have to have faith.  
• You have to accept the truth. 
• You have trust in Christ as your Savior. 
• You have to believe He has paid your price.
• You have to “choose” (free will) Him.

So we might ask, "Does faith equal salvation?"  No, but if we agree to needing the three things listed, and that Faith is what sets one apart from Satan and pagans, then we have to agree that you have to have Faith in order to get Salvation.  And by the way, this faith is not ordinary faith (like faith in your car or sports team, or the chair you are sitting in).  This is saving faith.  And you can't have saving faith with Knowledge and Assent.  So while faith does not 'equal' salvation, you can't have salvation without Faith.

So can you lose faith? There are a multitude of verses that indicate one can lose faith.  Matthew 24 states that "many will turn away from the faith..." and later states "... if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened."

All during the letters to the seven churches in Revelation (see previous post), they are reminded repeatedly to remain faithful and hold on to the end.  If they couldn't lose it, why so many warnings?

STAND FIRM:

Now, I'll grant you that not all these verses specifically state words about faith, but the context and meaning for all of them has to with standing firm in the faith.

• Matthew 10:22: You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 
• Matthew 24:13: but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
• Mark 13:13: Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
• Luke 21:19: Stand firm, and you will win life.
• 1 Corinthians 10:12: So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
• 1 Corinthians 15:58: Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
• 1 Corinthians 16:13: Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
• 2 Corinthians 1:21: Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,
• 2 Corinthians 1:24: Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.
• Galatians 5:1: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
• Ephesians 6:14: Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 

Jesus is clearly stating, "Stand by Me."

Next, you should spend some time in the letter to Hebrews.  The letter was written to Jewish converts (believers in Christ) in Rome who were being tempted to revert back to Judaism.  The theme of the letter is focused heavily on faith and on Jesus as the supreme and sufficient mediator of God's grace for salvation.  While you'll find many debates regarding Hebrews 6:4-11 and its meaning, that alone should induce your prayerful reading and consideration so that you can derive from the Spirit your own understanding.

We can't talk about losing salvation or faith without at least dipping our toes into "eternal sins".  Various denominations have differing views on whether there even are eternal sins.  I can't do any better than Mark, so I'll simply leave you with the words from Mark 3:28-30.

Mark 3:28-30
Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

We also have to reference the "mark of the beast".

Revelation 14:9-12
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

However, if after all of this comment, I didn't share with you John 10:25-30, I would be remiss.

John 10:25-30:
Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

So now you are probably saying, "Hey, wait a minute.  After all that commentary about the possibility of losing faith and salvation, you give us Jesus himself saying - he gives eternal life and no one can take that away - what gives?"

My answer is this.  No one can take it away.  No one can deny you the opportunity.  No one can force you to fall away or lose faith.  Satan can not make you lose faith.  Just like the choice to believe and accept is yours alone, The choice to not believe or to deny Him is yours alone.

Now let me make something very, very clear.  I also believe and defend the following.

• Losing faith and possibly salvation is in no way a negative reflection of God, his divinity, sovereignty, or power.
• God’s grace for salvation is never changed.
• Our ability to “fall” or lose faith is no more a knock on God than our original inadequacies and doom in sin.
• Jesus sacrifice stands the test of time and paid for all our sins and is available for anyone who believes in Him.

Let's conclude with a summary.

• Can you "LOSE" your salvation or have it taken from you?  NO
• Are we talking about our normal, sinful nature causing us to fall? NO
• Can you willfully turn your back on Christ and deny the truth (even after knowing Him)?  YES
• It is "mathematically possible" in my opinion
• As long as you have free will, I have to believe it is your option.
• How can this happen?
• Blasphemy toward the Spirit and thus denial of Christ and God
• Taking the Mark of the Beast and thus ‘worshiping’ the Antichrist
• Not standing firm or remaining faithful.
• Who would do such a thing?  That I leave for you to ponder...

So what is the point of all this?  Well, there are questions to be answered.  Will we or won't we endure the Tribulation? When will the Rapture occur? Can you lose or give up your faith or salvation? Can someone willfully turn their back on Christ?  And all these questions can be debated and studied.  So the point is for you to get into your Bible and with the Holy Spirit, find your answers.

I leave you with this.

We Pray for the best.

Prepare for the worse. (study all aspects of the theology)

Deal with whatever comes. (Remain faithful. Stand Firm. Persevere.)

Until next time,
God Bless you all,
Rob

Don't forget to check out my website, www.starvt.com.  And for those of you who have read my novel Providence, you can be assured that this journey through Revelation will show up in the next two books of the series, Purpose and Perseverance (hint, hint).

Lesson 4: The Hustler

Revelation, Lesson 4: The Hustler

Today's lesson happens to fall on Easter which makes it an appropriate time to cover a few items.

1) Whatever we study in Revelation, we mustn't forget that because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, He has already achieved victory over evil.
2) Whatever we study in Revelation, we can't forget #1 above.  Meaning, we can disagree about some of the particulars of prophetic literature and their meanings, but we have to hold true to the core doctrines.

For today, we are going to briefly cover Revelation 4 & 5.  Remember, when we skim over certain things, it is not because they are unimportant or irrelevant, but because our time is so short I have to choose what I spend time on.  Please dive into areas you don't feel I cover deeply enough on your own.  We can always talk about them in class, or in the comments section of the blog. (please comment).

Revelation 4:  I've selected a several areas of focus for this verse.

• John is told, "Come up here...". This indicates John was taken to Heaven for this viewing.  I don't know how this experience differed from his visions, but it seems significant to me in that John was being shown these things existed at the time, rather than indicating they are future things.
• John's vision of the throne and its surroundings indicates that all the events of the Tribulation would be managed from this location.  The command center.
• You'll note that there are 24 elders surrounding the throne.  A possible significance of this is that 24 is 12x2. 12 is the number of divine governance. The two sets could be the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles.
• Again, we are told of the 7 lampstands and 7 spirits. The Church (Rev. 1:20)
• We could spend weeks discussing the 4 living creatures, so I'll just give you a glimpse and allow you to explore these on your own. 4 is the number of the earth. The lion, ox, man, and eagle representation is the same as Ezekiel 1:6-10.  The wings indicate angelic power.  Hence the creatures could represent angelic power over the earth.
• Finally, quite a bit of the verse shows God being worshiped forever.  Meaning, this isn't a short-lived experience.  He has been, is now and will be - forever. The goal - worship Him.

Revelation 5:

• The scroll is God's right hand.  The hand of power and prestige. I believe this is the same scroll mentioned in Daniel 12:9 (where Daniel views the end times.
• The question is asked, "Who is worthy?" Rhetorical in a sense, but John is perplexed because he doesn't know until he's told.
• The Lion and the Lamb.  Both names/metaphors for Jesus.  Power and sacrifice.
• He is described as having 7 horns and 7 eyes.  Horns indicate Kingdom and eyes (which are the 7 Spirits) are all seeing.  The number 7 indicates "completeness".  Jesus has the power and insight into His Church.  This shows God's power in Jesus.
• Rev. 5 ends out with all the people of the world and those in Heaven praising and worshiping Jesus, just as they had done for God in Chapter 4.  God's declaration that Jesus is the Messiah to all the people.

Now, before we launch into Chapter 6, when the 7 Seals begin to be opened, we need to address a subject we started last week (Terms of Endearment).  I broached the subject of losing salvation and the timing of the rapture.  I think it is important to continue that discussion prior to actually diving into the details of the Tribulation.  We need to establish whether we will be here to endure it or not, right?

First, a disclaimer:

My goal and belief is not that one view is necessarily right and the other is wrong.

 

But rather, it is to ensure everyone has the knowledge to prepare for all scenarios.

So will we (the Church) be raptured before, during, or after the tribulation period described in Revelation?  My belief is the Church will endure the tribulation.  You can read in greater detail my reasoning in these two blogs I posted back in 2014.

Satan's Final Trick & Satan's Final Trick part II

Since I wrote those, I've compiled a few other items to support my reasoning. First, I used to always be a "pre-trib" rapture and "always saved" person.  But truthfully, I was that way because of word of mouth.  Meaning, I just followed what others believed.  But when it got deep into the Olivet Discourse, particularly in Matthew 24, I started to question the strong language that indicated we would suffer through the tribulation.  So I started studying more and asking myself questions.

• Maybe it doesn’t matter… maybe it does?
• I looked… I found plenty of Biblical evidence, but no direct statement of pre-trib rapture.
• I asked why not? This led to the discovery of other views.
• Pre-trib’s history
• Mid and Post Trib views
• Millennialism… (and all the other varying and respected opinions and theories)
• I realized, doctrinally it didn’t seem to matter which view you took, so long as you maintained the base foundation of belief that Jesus is your Savior.  So I asked myself, why all the disagreement?
• Then, as I read more, I began to believe you could lose your faith.  But, is that the same as losing salvation?
• We know Satan is the great deceiver (he's like a fake Rolex, has to be real enough to fool you). But why so much difference on these things that aren’t doctrinally different?

So I came up with these two questions.

1. If someone believes in “once saved” and “pre-trib” rapture, what would happen if they were wrong?
2. If someone believes you can lose salvation and post-trib rapture, what would happen if they were wrong?

Let's answer question 2 first.  The answer is, nothing.  Nothing negative would happen.  You'd be raptured away safely at the beginning.

For question 1, the answer would be different.  That person would have some pretty confused opinions, thoughts, and beliefs.  Everything they had thought to be true would not have been. They would endure the tribulation along with the risk of losing their salvation unbeknownst to them. That could be dangerous.

Now, I'm not completely certain that FAITH = SALVATION.  But I do know you have to have faith.  And repeatedly we are told some will lose faith, some will grow cold, and some will turn away.  We are also told "But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved." and "To the one that is victorious..." the rewards will be given.

We are also told that anyone who takes the mark of the beast will suffer torment forever. (Rev. 14).  Jesus also says that whoever blasphemies the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness (Mark 3).

So let's say you can fall (turn cold, lose your faith, take the mark).  Would you even be here to do that?  For this I'd like to parallel three different verses.  I admit, just because these verses are extremely close on imagery and construction does not mean they have to describe the same event - but you have to consider it.

First, "the Rapture verse":

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Second, from the Olivet Discourse (this follows Jesus statement, "Immediately after the distress of those days..."):

Matthew 24:30-31
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Finally, from Revelation after the bowls of wrath have been poured out:

Revelation 19:17-18
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small.”

While these items are no way conclusive (and there is so much more to study), I think it is at least enough to make you wonder.  And if you wonder, I pray that you'll study more.  Because remember,

My goal and belief is not that one view is necessarily right and the other is wrong.

 

But rather, it is to ensure everyone has the knowledge to prepare for all scenarios.

Oh, and in case you were still trying to put the title to the message, a hustler fools you into thinking you are winning or can win, then they swoop up and beat and take your money.  Satan is a hustler, and he does it with our beliefs in order to try to keep us from Heaven.

Until next time,

Peace and Love,
Rob
www.starvt.com

And check out my novel Providence.

Lesson 3: Terms of Endearment... sort of.

A study of Revelation: Lesson 3, the letters to the churches.

Most of you have probably studied the letters to the churches at one point in time or another as either the focal point of a sermon or a Sunday school lesson.  But, since during this study, we're only spending 14 weeks (as opposed to the needed 52 weeks), I'm breaking it down a little differently.  Rather than dissecting each verse or group of verses in great detail, I'm looking at things a little more broadly and doing a lot of summarizing and comparing.



If you read last week's lesson The Magnificent Sevens, you'll see that I have divided the book into seven major sections. This week we'll be looking at the 7 letters to the 7 churches.

There are several components within the letters that repeat (loosely repeat, I’ll highlight the differences as we move along). The components that repeat are as follows;

• The Command to write.  Each letter begins with the exact verbiage, “To the angel of the church in LOCATION write:”.  The angel referenced here is  stated in Revelation 1:20, as the seven stars in Jesus’ right hand.  Lampstand is also explained as the churches themselves.
  
• A description of Jesus. Many of these descriptions are references to others throughout the Bible and couple show his divinity over the writings in Revelation itself.
  
• Positive Evaluation and Praise.  Sardis and Laodicea have no positive praise (wouldn't want to be them).  Their evaluation is not very positive.  (Note: The praises can also blur into the encouragement)
  
• Encouragement and/or Criticism.  In this next portion of the letters (which sometimes bleed into the exhortation) come either some “hang-on” words, some direct chastisement, or both.  Smyrna and Philadelphia do not have any criticism (yay them!).
  
• Exhortation (request/command).  All the churches are told to repent (of the items in the criticisms) except for Smyrna and Philadelphia.  Those two are told to “hold on” and remain faithful.  Thyatira has some repent language also in the criticism, but are also told if they can hang on Jesus won’t put any more request on them.
  
• The reward for obedience.
• All the churches are told “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches”.  Some are told before the reward, some after. This is a reminder that they have to choose to listen and have to be believers (can't hear the Spirit if you don't believe)
• All seven are given the statement, “To the one that is victorious… (all those that overcometh - KJV)” prior to the statement of reward.  
• The Greek word used for victory is nikaō. The definition is to conquer, achieve victory, overcome.  With a specified use during the time: “of Christians, that hold fast their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, and temptations and persecutions.”

Also, in case you are wondering - I refer to a particular church (First Baptist, United Methodist, etc.) as little "c", church.  I refer to all Christians and Christ followers as the Church, big "C".

First, let's agree that these letters are to established Christians (believers, people considered 'saved').  Let's also agree, that not only are these letters to the churches (little "c") during John's life, but also have applicability to, and are metaphors for churches (little "c") during all times and as well pertain to The Church (big "C").  I could go as far to add that the personification of the churches in the letters also indicate that they are written to us as individuals and the Church (big "C"). (reference back to Lesson 1 to read about my theory on the Trinity of Applicability).  

Disclaimer: I will discuss in detail in a later blog my beliefs on a Post-Tribulation Rapture and that I believe there are serious things to consider about the philosophy of 'once saved, always saved'.  This next section gives some leading insight to those two beliefs by me.

Let's take a moment to examine a few highlights from the exhortations.

In the letter to Ephesus, they are told, "if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand (metaphor for the actual church and also the Church) from its place."  They are clearly told if they don't repent, they will be removed.

In the letter to Smyrna, they are told to "be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor's crown."  I highlight the word, "and" to indicate the message appears to say if you are not faithful to the point of death, then you won't get life as a victor's crown.

Those in Thyatira are told, they "will suffer intensely, unless they repent."

Philadelphia is told "Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown."  The crown symbolizes victory (which we have already discussed).  

Can someone can take your crown?  I personally believe we can give it up by not repenting, not staying faithful till the end, and by doing a couple of specific things such as "taking the mark of the beast" and "blasphemy toward the Spirit" (these will be covered in more detail in future blogs).

Now, one (of many) arguments against my thought that you can lose your salvation, is that Jesus is not saying you will lose your salvation in these statements, but is highlighting the level of reward for those who are most faithful.  And I will admit, I also believe in levels of reward. As a good friend once said, "I reserve the right to let the Holy Spirit change my mind." Which means, I know I don't know everything, and this is how I interpret it, but I'm not so stubborn as to ignore other viewpoints.

As you can see, each letter serves and repeats specific behaviors.  Jesus establishes his glory and power so that you know you should obey. He gives some praise and encouragement on what you have done, but then highlights were you have fallen short. Then He commands you correct these shortcomings so that you can receive the rewards He has planned for you.

Lastly, let's look at the rewards in the letters.  If we jump ahead to Lesson 12 where we will study the 7 Visions, Revelation 19-22, we can see that there are some parallels between the two.

1.       Authority to eat from the tree of life. (you are accepted into the Kingdom)
2.       Not hurt by the second death. (the final judgement)
3.       White stone and new name. (new name and body)
4.       Authority over nations and the morning star. (Satan is defeated and has no power)
5.       Dressed in white, not blotted from the book of life. (with Jesus in the clouds)
6.       Become a pillar of the temple. (new Jerusalem)
7.       Seated with Christ (with him during his reign)

Don't forget that these rewards are specifically designated for "those who have ears and hear what the Spirit says" and to "the one who is victorious" or remains faithful till the end.

One of the most important things we need to take away from the letters is the applicability to our current world, and the applicability to Christians during the end times and Tribulation period.  He clearly commands us to remain faithful and obedient along with these specifics:

• Continue to love as He has shown us.
• We will be persecuted, but stand firm.
• Do not compromise with evil.
• Do not become corrupt like the world.
• Do not let ourselves become spiritually dead.
• Remain Faithful.
• Do not be indifferent.

Until next time,
God Bless you all,
Rob

Don't forget to check out my website, www.starvt.com.  And for those of you who have read my novel Providence, you can be assured that this journey through Revelation will show up in the next two books of the series, Purpose and Perseverance (hint, hint).