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    Revelation chapters two and three are amazing chapters that both tell the history of Yahshua’s congregation from when it began in 30AD up until today, and also shows the spiritual state of the congregation manifest in the character of the seven different congregations through each progressive era. You can read about this amazing history in my book “The Gates of Hell Shall not Prevail Against Her“. Write us for a copy today. We would be happy to send you one as a gift.

      In this article I want to focus on the end time aspect of Revelation 2 and 3 instead of the historical one. There are seven congregations mentioned and since they are also progressive in nature the overall characteristic of the entire end time congregation is of the Laodicean Congregation.

A congregation that is lukewarm and half-hearted. One that will compromise on Yahweh’s word whenever it is not convenient to obey it. A congregation that has much self-righteousness and thinks it is a spiritual giant compared to the immoral world around them, but actually is so blinded by their own self-righteousness that they don’t see any need for change.

Rev 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit you out of My mouth.

Rev 3:17 Because you say, I am rich, and I am made rich, and I have need of nothing, and do not know that you are miserable and a wanderer and poor and blind and naked.

Since we are in the Laodicean era of Yahshua’s Congregation each of us should periodically check ourselves to make sure we are not slowly becoming lukewarm Laodiceans. It can happen faster than one may think. If you are not able to take correction, if you think you know more than most people, and if you don’t take a stand in the congregation in support of the leadership that Yahweh ordained and placed, then you may very well be on your way to the road to Laodicea.

But, the congregation that I want to focus on in this article is the congregation of Philadelphia. I believe that the first five congregations that we read about in Revelations 2 and 3 are actual characteristics of real congregations today.

Take for instance if you look at the admonition to the Sardis congregation we see the following:

Rev 3:1 And to the messenger of the congregation in Sardis, write: These things says the One having the seven spirits of Elohim, and the seven stars: I know your works, that you have the name that you live, and are dead.

Rev 3:2 Be watching, and establish the things which remain, which are about to die. For I have not found your works being fulfilled before YAHWEH.

Rev 3:3 Then remember how you received and heard, and keep, and repent. If, then, you do not watch, I will come upon you like a thief and you will not at all know what hour I come upon you.

This is clearly speaking about The Church of God groups. The Church of God at one time was the largest and strongest part of true body of Messiah, but after they rejected the name of the Creator Yahweh and His Son Yahshua they continued to go off track until today they are a spiritually dead church instead of a living part of the true Congregation of Yahshua. Their congregations are miniscule and they are teaching sermons from 40 and 50 years ago, and they also have no concept of prophecy or what Yahweh is doing in the world or in the congregation today.

Another clearly defined congregation in Revelation chapter two is Thyatira.

Rev 2:19 I know your works, and the love, and your service, and the faith, and your patience, and your works; and the last being more than the first.

Rev 2:20 But I have a few things against you, that you allow the woman Jezebel to teach, she saying herself to be a prophetess, and to cause My servants to go astray, and to commit fornication, and to eat idol sacrifices.

Rev 2:21 And I gave time to her that she might repent of her fornication. And she did not repent.

This can be speaking of no other than the 7th Day Adventists, who at one time were part of the true remnant of Yahshua until they started to use Ellen White’s dreams as a litmus test to a believer’s conversion. It is also interesting that it mentions about them eating idol sacrifices and 7th day Adventists truly make food an idol, and even persuade their members to become vegetarians and abstain from all use of wine even on Yahshua’s Passover.

So as we see the first 5 congregations are literal churches today, and each one except for Smyrna is told to repent or else they may lose out on entering the Kingdom of Yahweh.

In contrast, the last two congregations mentioned, Philadelphia and Laodicea, are spiritual conditions that brethren have acquired. We have spoken about Laodicea so now let’s go on to the most important congregation of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia means ‘city of brotherly love’. And the overriding characteristic of this congregation is that they have not let the sinful and immoral system around them to take away their greatest asset; the very love of Yahshua and Yahweh living daily in their lives.

Also, this congregation has no identifying marks against them, but actually Yahshua gives them 4 promises for this end time that we are living in to receive if they continue to be faithful as Philadelphians.

Rev 3:7 And to the messenger of the congregation in Philadelphia, write: These things says the Holy One, the True One, “The One having the key of David, the One opening, and no one shuts; and shuts, and no one opens:”

I believe this first promise cannot be overstated as Yahshua promises to give an open door for His end time restoration work from Jerusalem, and even states that He will personally reveal the “Key of David” to this congregation so as there will be no doubt to who they are and the authority of their work.

I was blessed in 2014 to have Yahweh reveal to me what the Key of David is and to actually see the Tabernacle of David with my own eyes and share this amazing revelation with the brethren that Yahweh has given eyes to see and ears to hear.

Rev 3:13 The one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the congregations.

There can be no greater sign to the end time remnant of Yahshua than The Key of David as it actually not only reveals the very cornerstone of the millennial Temple to be built in Jerusalem, but it clearly proves Yahshua as Messiah and the eternal partner with Yahweh from everlasting. But, as mentioned, this amazing sign can only be understood by those that Yahweh gave eyes to see and ears to hear, others will continue to roam the Internet for every false sign and prophecy, which sound good at the time but never come to pass, and then, they simply will go to the next false sign and prophecy. You can read the Key of David article online at www.coyhwh.com

The other promise Yahshua makes here is to put an open door before His end time restoration work from Jerusalem to the nations that no man can shut. Let me tell you quite frankly, I would have never imagined in a thousand years when we started the Mathew 24 project back in 2011 that we would be going from getting 400 to 500 people a day coming to our website to 3 to 4 million a year and growing. I would have never imagined that we would be getting more than 1 million bible downloads a year and millions more downloads of sermons, books, Remnant’s Walks articles etc.

Yahweh has blessed this end time work from Israel in ways that no one could have ever imagined and He has blessed His end time remnant to come each year from all over the world and appear before Him at feast time as He prophesied (Ezek 36:38). What a great honor it has been in my life to be chosen and allowed by Him to host these feast days for the last 15 years from the Holy City of Jerusalem. Let me also say that by sharing the blessings that Yahweh has bestowed on this work from Jerusalem in no way does it take away or diminish the good work being done by other remnants of Yahshua’s congregation in other areas.

Yahshua has put an open door to this work and we are getting requests weekly and monthly for new congregations from all over the world that want to join and partner with me from Jerusalem in this fantastic end time restoration work of Yahweh from Israel to the nations. In Africa alone our congregations have tripled in size in just the last year and we have many more requests that cannot even be handled. Truly the harvest is ready and the laborers few.

However, let’s not take this open door for granted as the scripture also says at the appointed time that Yahshua will close this great door that He has opened when this work is complete. Let us never take for granted the wonderful role that Yahshua has given to each of us who have freely decided to join this wonderful end time work from Jerusalem, and let us each use our spiritual gifts to magnify and grow the fruit that Yahweh is blessing us with.

And look why Yahweh is blessing the Philadelphian congregation so much.

Rev 3:8 I know your works. Behold, I have given a door being opened before you, and no one is able to shut it, for you have a little strength and have kept My Word, and have not denied My name.

Yahweh is blessing the Philadelphia congregation because number one their whole life and purpose is on His end time work, and also because they have not denied His name. This is not just abstaining from using pagan titles such as god, lord, and jesus, but it also means that they are giving all glory for the blessings that they are receiving to the very name and being of Yahweh Almighty!

It means they are not diminishing the personage of Yahshua Messiah as the eternal partner of Yahweh, and also giving Yahshua full recognition for the great ransom sacrifice that He personally made for each of us who repent of our sins and accept His sacrifice for the forgiveness of those sins. They are also realizing that there is salvation and eternal life in no other name but Yahshua. Then verse 9 states.

Rev 3:9 Behold, I give out of the synagogue of Satan those saying themselves to be Jews, and they are not, but they lie. Behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they shall know that I loved you.

When Yahshua walked this earth almost 2,000 years ago many people mocked and scorned Him and did not believe in His message, which came directly from Yahweh. Yahweh states in the book of Philippians that in the Kingdom all will give reverence to Yahshua as King of Kings and Master of Masters.

Php 2:9 For this reason also, YAHWEH highly exalted Him and gave Him a name above every name,

Php 2:10 that at the name of Yahshua “every knee should bow,” of those in heaven, and those on earth, and those under the earth,

Php 2:11 and “every tongue should confess” that Yahshua Messiah is YAHWEH, (the Son) to the glory of YAHWEH His Father.

In like manner in Rev 3:9 Yahshua is promising to the faithful Philadelphians that all of the rebellious mockers and scoffers in the last days will be forced to admit their error and acknowledge the work of the Philadelphia congregation in these last days. And these self-willed mockers will know that it is because of Yahshua’s great love for His congregational bride that He has done this.

It should be a stark warning to all of the Laodicean minded people out there who cannot be part of a congregation or work together with any part of Yahshua’s congregation that they will not be in His Kingdom at His return. The very essence of what Yahshua is doing in these end times is getting His true remnant bride to deny themselves and fight their corrupted human nature and to submit to Yahshua and the ordained leadership that He Himself has placed and following His judicial order.

If someone is out on their own with no headship they would never learn the characteristics needed to become an unselfish Philadelphian believer. Love is submission of our will to the will of Yahweh, and love is denying our own selfish wants and desires to the betterment of the congregation at large. One could never learn any of these most important principles if they have separated themselves from the Body of Messiah.

Then, Yahshua gives the next promise to the Philadelphian believer:

Rev 3:10 Because you kept the Word of My patience, I also will keep you out of the hour of trial which is going to come upon all the world in order to try those dwelling on the earth.

So many through the years have come through the doors of Yahshua’s true remnant congregation only to continue to keep walking over a lack of Elohim guided patience. Either they personally did not get their own way in a given matter, or maybe some prophecy they thought would happen at a certain time never came to pass, and they lost interest through personal ambition and left the very Body of Messiah that they had found.

However, the true Philadelphian has built thue Elohim guided patience through submission to the Holy Spirit and is unwavering in His faith in Yahweh and Yahshua and doesn’t question what Yahshua is doing in His congregation which was bought with His very own blood. And as a reward for this patience, which is only built on true and living faith, Yahshua promises to keep them out of the punishment of the horrible tribulation that is about ready to come on the entire earth.

They have already proved to Yahshua by their love for Him and His congregation that they are steadfast and loyal and no trial or trick of the adversary will move them from the loyal service that they have been committing to Yahshua over their life as a true believer. They have already come out of the world and are living sanctified lives and abhor the worldly society set up by Satan.

They took their calling serious and have already worked on overcoming and enduring until the end. They have worked on year after year the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit, and they are already praying without ceasing and fully committed to being a servant of Yahweh and Yahshua forever. And because of their love and loyalty to Yahweh and Yahshua they also are loyal to the elders that Yahshua has ordained and they have proved to Yahshua that their loyalty is to Yahweh and Yahshua alone. They are also a living active part of Yahshua’s congregation and they are serving their fellow brethren in any way possible and praying without ceasing each and every day of their life.

Yahshua, then ends this wonderful message to the congregation of Philadelphia by saying the following:

Rev 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold what you have that no one take your crown.

Rev 3:12 The one overcoming, I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My Elohim, and he shall not go out any more. And I will write the name of My Elohim on him, and the name of the city of My Elohim, the New Jerusalem which comes down out of Heaven from My Elohim, and My new name.

Rev 3:13 The one who has an ear, hear what the Spirit says to the congregations.

He lets those who have eyes to see and ears to hear know that the time is indeed short and He will be coming back to this earth in the next short coming years. And He also promises to those who are faithful that He will make them a pillar in His sanctuary. A pillar is something that structurally holds a building together. It is sure and secure. And although a pillar is the very edifice that holds the whole building together, it can also stand alone when needed.

We see many pillars today that are still remaining from many structures that were built from the Bible over the last 3 to 4 thousand years. The roofs are gone, as well as the floors in many cases but almost everywhere you go in ancient sites in Israel you will find the pillars still standing strong. Sometimes they are broken in part from the wear and tear that they endured throughout time, but they are still very visible and they are still the very structure that can hold the building together when rebuilt.

Are you a pillar in Yahshua’s Congregation? Do you hold the brethren together or do you tear them apart? Do you follow Yahweh’s judicial order or do you only follow it when it suits your own personal agenda? A Pillar is one that will stay loyal to Yahweh and Yahshua and never waver or fall. It is someone who will encourage, uplift and abide to the truth even in the most dire circumstances. It is someone who will support Yahshua’s elders when someone is attacking them, and always stay strong with the Body of Messiah. It is someone who will put their own selfish fleshly desires to the side not to cause another brother or sister to fall, and it is one who will follow judicial order knowing it is the very foundation of the Kingdom of Yahweh.

The true Philadelphian has died to the flesh and any selfish ambition, and lives daily to the mind of Messiah. He/she may have daily trials and struggles as anyone would, but they never allow it to shake their faith and they use each trial as a springboard for growing in more faith and being a better servant and bride to be of Yahshua Messiah. They are tempered and have allowed the Holy Spirit to build patience in them for every part of the daily walk that Yahweh will give them.

And most of all they have a burning heartfelt love for Yahweh and Yahshua that overflows to His people every day of their life. They have the Torah of Yahweh written on their hearts and their character is so strong that they would never ever think of compromising with it. The Torah has become to them their very character, and this is why Satan the adversary is limited as to where he can tempt them.

As already mentioned, the end time Philadelphian remnant is made up of those leaving the other congregations mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3 and is a spiritual mindset and mentality that one must surrender to daily in fighting their own human nature. It is Yahshua who will bless each one with the spirit of Philadelphia, but each Spirit led believer should be working to achieve and striving to be part of the Philadelphia Congregation. It is not something that you would do once but it is a lifelong commitment to being the bond slave of Yahshua and putting your calling as the highest priority in your life.

May we take the promises of Yahshua to the congregation of Philadelphia (brotherly love) most serious and may we daily be preparing for Yahshua’s return.