Faith, and a Christ-like Character - Gold tried in The Fire
Revelation 3:18-19 'I counsel thee to buy of Me gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent'.
The counsel of God is terse. It is to the point. He directs this last day church to one hope. That hope is Himself. He says, 'Come to Me and buy.' It is evident from this phrase 'buy of Me' that the Laodicean church is not at all dealing with Jesus for the Spiritual products of the Kingdom of God.
Their transactions cannot be Spiritual. How can they be? The works in their midst are definitely not as Paul would say, 'God in you willing and doing of His own good pleasure' (Philippians 2:13). So what about all these churches, schools, hospitals, missionary ventures, etc.? God is not in them as long as they are denominational seed and spirit, and not the Seed and Spirit of God.
'Buy of Me, gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich.' These people had plenty of gold, but it was the wrong kind. It was that gold that bought men's lives and destroyed them. It was the gold that warped and twisted human character, for its love was the root of all evil.
Revelation 18:1-14, 'And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine: and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God Who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning. Standing afar off for the fear of her torment saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour is thy judgment come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble, and cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all'.
This is the organized churches of the last day, for it says in verse 4, 'Come out of her My people'. The rapture has not yet taken place. The bride is not yet gone when these terrible conditions in this rich, false church exist.
But, there is a gold of God. I Peter 1:7 'That the trial of your FAITH, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth'. The gold of God is a Christ-like character produced in the fiery furnace of affliction. That is the right kind of gold.
Search the Scriptures, see what God promised He would do in THIS day. A life lived by the Word is the Word expressed. strat006.htm
.../Back to Index
.../Next
e-mail to: ags@