Seven Potential Brides for Christ—Which One Captures His Heart?  And Which do YOU want to be? ©by Kathy Black  

Before we read about the churches who will be Christ's bride in heaven, note that every one is admonished by Christ

1. to Listen to the Voice of the Holy Spirit

2. and develop ears to hear her Bridegroom.   

   Only two Churches Christ had NO criticism given to them:  Smyrna and Philadelphia.  To all the others he said repent and overcome.

   We can overcome as believers, repent, get out of dead churches, connect and link with the Church of Philadelphia and Smyrna.  We can help others develop an "ear" to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying.  We can stir up holiness, unmask immoral lifestyles, not tolerate false doctrine, or allow people to make idols of men.  We can not preach the gospel for hire, and mentor others by our lifestyle.  We can encourage others to worship, pray, be baptized in the Holy Spirit, and develop ears to hear.  We can set up watches of prayer and intercession to be ready for Christ's return.

   Definition of overcoming: triumph over, conquer, defeat, prevail over, beat. Victory!  

The first Bride:  Ephesus is her name and she rejects evil, preservers, has patience, tests Apostles to see who is true, finds out the liars, she has labored in the past for Christ’s name, and did not become weary in doing so, but her love for Christ is no longer passionate.  

1. She has LEFT her first love, Jesus. 
2. Yet she is commended because she hates the Nicolaitans* (see end notes for who they were).

This bride has fallen.  She must REPENT or Christ will take away her LAMPSTAND which in the Tabernacle was before the presence of God and was a symbol of His  Revelation (His voice and His word) .  It is also symbolic of her defense against the darkness and her witness.  It is also symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells her to look to her promise of the Tree of Life -Jesus wants to ignite her passion by telling her to Look to her  Eternal Reward---get your eyes off the enemy, the world systems and world’s ways and onto your future with me! 

Do the works you did at first.   He who OVERCOMES will eat of the Tree of Life.   In today's words:  Overcome your apathy, stir up your gifts, spend time with Jesus like you did at first. and then triumph over and defeat idolatry and immorality and the tendency to have a superior attitude.  

Her promise, and ours, of receiving Eternal Life depends on developing an ear to Hear what her Bridegroom says to her by the power of the Holy Spirit.  She must shake off the apathy, spend time getting ready for her bridegroom by  repenting and overcoming. 

The Second Bride:  Her name is Smyrna,  and she is full of grace even though poor, imprisoned and facing death.  She is found by Christ in her persecuted state. 

Christ tells her to remember Her crown of Life and to be faithful even if she dies.  She has developed an ear to hear and stays close to the Holy Spirit through her difficulties.

The Third Bride, her name is Pergamos and she dwells in a hard place, like Nigeria or the Sudan, perhaps even in New York City, Hollywood or Las Vegas.  She remains faithful even though some of her leaders were being martyred.  She is found by Christ in a compromising state. 

Jesus tells her to repent because some of her doctrines 

1. seduce the people into idolatry and immorality 

2. the making of money takes the place of blessing God’s people. (Balaam)  

3. She also holds to the doctrine of the Nicolaitans.* (end note)

Christ will fight against this church’s leaders with the sword of His mouth.   As believers in this church listens to the Holy Spirit and develops a hearing ear and overcome they will have hidden manna to eat and a white stone with a NEW name written on it.

The Fourth Bride is named Thyatira, who thinks that working for Christ is more important than love, faith, patience and service.  She tolerates Jezebel to teach and seduce Christ’s people. She is not repentant.  This bride looks Christ right in the face and says “my ways are better than yours”.  “it is alright to commit fornication, adultery, to kill babies and I am going to go right on doing so.  I have my own Priests that are faithful to me.    She is found in the state of being corrupt and wants to enjoy her sin.  She knows the depths of Satan and wants to be like him. 

Christ says:  because of your hard heart, I will make you sick, kill your children, and give you much tribulation. 

Those of you connected with this bride: repent, hold fast --Christ will not burden you further for you have already had much to contend with. 

But to those of you who overcome in this unrepentant Bride, he will give you the rule over nations.  He will bring judgment on her and true believers must just kept he faith after meeting up with her. 

The Fifth Bride is named Sardis.  She actually looks like a walking zombie.  She is almost dead.  She has a reputation from the past of being alive, but she is not any longer.  Those within her are also almost dead.  Her light is a very faint flicker in the dark. 

Christ tells her that the only way to strengthen the things that remain is 

1. He calls to her to overcome her lethargy, to wake up and watch (which is to pray)

2. He tells her to hold fast to repent, that he is coming like a thief unexpectedly and she must watch in prayer in order to be ready.   

 If she overcomes she will have white garments.  Jesus will stand up for her if she overcomes.  She will still have a name in the book of life and He will still confess her before his Father and Angels even though she is almost dead;  but she must repent. 

The Sixth Bride is named Philadelphia and her name means brotherly love.  The is the Bride who has made herself READY.  

1. She perseveres in her faith, 

2. Keeps God’s holy word 

3. Honors His name.    

4. Christ opens a door wide for her.  

5. Jesus is in love with her and will keep her from the hour of trial, which comes upon the whole world to test those left to dwell on the earth.  

6. She is the church enraptured by Him and perhaps will be raptured by him.   He tells her to hold fast to what she has so that NO ONE can take her crown.  

7. He tells her He is coming quickly.   (note here that she is like the virgin who woke up and prepared for His coming) 

8. She will become a Pillar in his temple.  

9. She will have a place in God’s presence, a new name and be a citizen of the New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. 

The Believers Commentary:  The assembly at Philadelphia received only words of praise from the Lord.

1. The saints had been faithful.
2. They had been zealous for good works.
3. In their own human weakness, they had trusted in the Lord.
4. As a result, they had been able to preserve the truth by living it out in their lives.
5. They had not denied Christ’s name. Therefore, He would set before them an open door of opportunity that no one would be able to shut.
6.  Because the Philadelphians had maintained God’s truth by living it before men, the Lord would keep them from the hour of trial which is to come upon all who dwell on the earth.
7.  This is a promise of exemption from the Tribulation Period described in chapters 6–19. Note that they will be kept from the hour of trial, that is, from the whole time period. Also they will be kept out of that period (Gk., ek), not through it.

The seventh Bride is named Laodicea, she is lukewarm about her relationship with Christ. She is totally self-sufficient.  Doesn’t need time with Christ and won’t let Him into her personal space.  The philosophy and deceit of the tradition of men and the principles of the world mean more to her than her relationship with Christ.   She has NOT spent any time developing an ear to HEAR what Christ by the Holy Spirit is saying to her.  The name Laodicea means either the people ruling or the judgment of the people. (Everyone does what seems right in his own eyes…) 

1. She is deaf and blind. Laodicea  character is full of  pride, ignorance, self-sufficiency, smugness and self-satisfaction.   

2. She is dressed to the hilt: jewels and furs.  

3. She thinks she needs nothing and is wealthy and rich.  Yet Christ sees her as poor, blind, and naked, miserable and wretched.    

4. She just won’t let Him into the center of her heart where he can speak to her and tell her what is wrong with her, to chasten her so she can be ready for his return.  He counsels her to buy clothes from him of gold, which stands for allowing Him to refine her from within by his fire, that He may cover her nakedness. He wants her to live righteously in practical everyday life.     

Jesus by His Sprit and His word says "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:1  (in her deafness she does not hear)

1. He wants to heal her sight that she can have spiritual eyes to see.    

2. He wants her to gain true spiritual vision through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.   She has no TIME to spend with Him.  She has to gain worldly wisdom and education.  After all, she watches What Not to Wear and knows How to dress.  She thinks “What does Jesus know about clothes?  He only had one good outfit.” 

3. He counsels her to open the door of her heart to him and let him come in and dine with her.  

4. He offers her delicious food from his word, intimacy, and a true throne.  

5. She prefers the things the world has to offer and really doesn’t want to be TOO religious, or love Jesus TOO much.  Otherwise what will people say?  And she might lose her wealth and riches.   

He tells her:  let me rebuke, chasten you,  so that you can be zealous and repent and I can give you the throne that really matters for eternity and not earthly wealth. 

What does Rebuke mean?: reprove, censure, scold, admonish, reprimand, or give a talking to.

  What does Chasen mean? Educate, instruct, train, correcting with words, to chasten with blows, to scorge. 

Christ loves all of these brides, because he died for them.  Only One bride will be removed from the earth to avoid the final tribulations of the earth and come back with Him.   Which bride will you CHOSE to be?   

Christ keeps telling the Church (His Bride to Be) to Overcome.  

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Rev. 12:11.

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage. For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 2 Peter 2:19.

I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one.  1 John 2:13

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  I John 5:4

The Believers Commentary says this: 

  The overcomer is promised that he will share the glory of Christ’s throne and reign with Him over the millennial earth. Those who follow Him in humility, rejection, and suffering will also follow Him in glory. 

Whatever interpretation we take of the book of Revelation, it is undeniable that the church of Laodicea presents a vivid picture of the age in which we live. Luxury-living abounds on every hand while souls are dying for want of the gospel. 

According to the comments about the church at Laodicea in the Book of Revelation, this congregation consisted of lukewarm Christians (Rev. 3:14–22). The living Lord demands enthusiasm and total commitment from those who worship Him.   

Prayerpost is encouraging leaders who want  every Christian in their church to become a Philadelphia Bride to order the video below  or invite Gail to speak at your church.     

Research and Comments about the Nicolaitans.

The doctrine of the Nicolaitans is not defined. Many Bible scholars feel that these were libertines, teaching that those under grace were free to practice idolatry and sexual sins. 

 (The collected writings of W. E. Vine.)

The general development of the clerical system was antagonistic to that truth. Those who have carefully studied the history of the first few centuries of this era, will perhaps have observed that the writings even of the early “Fathers” contain no testimony to this doctrine of the Headship of Christ over the Church as His body. Whatever else was taught, that was allowed to lapse. Earthly aspirations, motives guided by natural ambition, aims that were concentrated on worldly ideas, superseded the truth of the Church as the body of Christ. The confusion of the true character of the Church with that of earthly organization was a triumph for the adversary and shows how possible it was for the churches to be “corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ”.      

Dr. C. I. Scofield, however, links the doctrine with the rise of the clerical system:

It is the doctrine that God has instituted an order of “clergy” or priests, as distinguished from the “laity.” The word is formed from two Greek words, niko, conqueror or overcomer, and laos, the people. The New Testament knows nothing of a “clergyman,” still less of a priest, except as all sons of God in this dispensation are “a royal priesthood.” In the apostolic church there were offices: elders (or bishops) and deacons; and gifts: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Eph. 4:11). These might or might not be elders or deacons. But late in the apostolic period there emerged a disposition to arrogate to elders alone authority to administer ordinances, and, generally, to constitute themselves a class between God and the people; they were the Nicolaitans. You will observe that what were “deeds” in the Ephesus or late apostolic period, had become a “doctrine” two hundred years later in the Pergamos or Constantine period. (The Believers Commentary)