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THE CANDLESTICK
By Paul Taylor
Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
To whom is Jesus talking to in this verse of scripture?
Here Jesus is speaking to the Church of Ephesus concerning their spiritual health and relationship with God.
The first 4 verses indicate the church of Ephesus’s hatred for the evil ways of the world, the false teachers, the deceptive teachings, but Jesus is saying even Ephesus has departed from the faith, in spite of their patience and longsuffering against the false teachers, and deceptive ways.
Jesus in His warning of the church’s backsliding nature warns that unless they repent, He would remove their candlestick.
To what is the significance of the candlestick?
In Exodus 19:5 and Deut.14:2, God said His people, if they were obedient to His statutes and commandments would be a peculiar people, and a Holy treasure above all the people of the earth.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-15, that God’s people are like a candle, giving light unto the world, a light for all to see, not to be hidden, but observable as a different community of people. The light of difference in character, attitude, lifestyle, speech, worship, humane actions, etc…, would show that the Christian is not of this world, but completely different from the world, a peculiar people indeed.
The candlestick is a representation of the church as well, and its spiritual relationship with God, and when that relationship begins to weaken, becomes watered down from man manipulating God’s word for an agenda other than the sharing of the true gospel with the lost, then the candlestick (Church) would be removed.
The church in the past 60 years has shown a tremendous decline, not only in numbers, but also in the explosion of new so-called Bibles, which in most cases, important verses relating to the deity and purpose of Jesus Christ, have either been removed or rewritten to weaken the authority and holiness of Jesus, and to sugarcoat the transgressing of the law,( The Ten Commandments).
The Christian Church today is under a massive attack from not only the atheist agendas, but politicians, businesses, and sadly, the church from within, attacking those adhering to the Biblical truth of God’s statutes and commandments.
The candlestick is being removed because the church has fallen from its first love, Jesus Christ. The focus is not on Jesus anymore, but on political correctness and adherence to government standards and unconstitutional injunctions against it. The church has become a partner with the state and so weak it barely has the strength to stand against the increasingly hostile attacks being waged against it from outside the church, and from within.
Because of these increasing attacks, many are giving up, the people are not willing to accept the attacks and accusations of hatred, bigotry, etc.. that may cost them their livelihood or stature in the community. There are hundreds of churches closing per week in the USA because so many people refuse to accept the intolerance exhibited against it.
John 15:20-21 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
Jesus said if they hated Him, they would also hate you, and if you were not willing to accept these atrocities, then you are not worthy of the kingdom.
Matthew 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
Mark 8:35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
Jesus offers only two things to those accepting His offer of salvation, and that is the cross of persecution and eternal life in a home our finite minds cannot comprehend.
Friends, as time flies by, as prophecies are fulfilling on a daily basis, as the signs Jesus warned us to watch for increasingly unfolds, we are ever so close to the events foretold in 2nd Peter.
2nd Peter 3:9-11.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Don’t be deceived by those teaching a second chance at redemption during a 7-year tribulation period, this is deceptive teachings, and the Bible is clear on this subject. When Jesus returns, the dead in Christ shall rise first and the those living will be caught up in the sky at that time, (1st Thess.4:16,17) and as 2nd Peter 9-11 says, the rest of the world and man will be destroyed.
The only thing remaining will be Satan and his demons for the next 1000 years as they are bound with no nation to deceive. Please see Rev.20:2-3,5, Jeremiah 4:23-27, and Isaiah 24:20
Today is the day of decision, you are one heartbeat away from eternity and the decision you make before that last heartbeat will determine where you spend eternity.
The choice is yours. CHOOSE WISELY
May God add a blessing to the going forth of His word and to those reading it.
Paul Taylor
May 23,2021
©copyright 2021 Paul Taylor All rights reserved worldwide all scripture is KJV
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