Revelation Chapter 3
VERSE 19 continued “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent.”
As it is explained by the Southern Wisconsin Class
“This verse is a continuation of the previous verse, in that the Lord is still trying to get individuals in the seventh church to repent (change direction). Here, he tells us that he is going to rebuke and chasten those whom he loves, his children, in order to get them to repent. Note that despite their pitiful condition these had not yet ceased to be part of the church of Christ, and we see that the same situation applies to the other churches, in that those who were in error were always accepted back if they would repent. If they don’t get the gold and silver and the eye salve from Christ as he tells them to do, he will spew them out of his mouth.
He doesn't want to rebuke us, but if it's necessary, he will do it for our own good. We as parents rebuke our children, and the heavenly Father and Jesus wouldn't do anything less for us (See Prov 3:11-12; Job 5:17).
“And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him; for those whom the lord loves he disciplines, and he scourges every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom {his} father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He {disciplines us} for {our} good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. (Heb 12:5-11 NAU)
If the Lord isn’t disciplining us, we are in danger and we should be worried, because either the Father didn’t accept us in the first place, or else he has given up on us. Each trial or discipline is tailored to each individual because what would be good for one might not be good for another.
He Wants to Save All if He Can
He doesn't want to have to spew out anyone out, or reject anyone if he doesn't have to, so he is going to go to great lengths to save all that he can. If we are rebuked, we should be willing to reform (change) and to go to great lengths to set ourselves right. We need to be able to receive the discipline and to be humbled, but not crushed by it, or reject it. We need to remember the first part of his statement when things get tough, "As many as I love." The scriptures from Heb.12, show that Rev 3:19 is not being selective as to whom he loves.
The Lord does not discipline us without a purpose or a reason. If there were a better way, he would do it that.
“Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” (1 Cor 10:12, 13 NAU)
We should be careful not to provoke the Lord to jealousy with strange gods, or to wrath with strange fire, as the nominal system has done all through the age.
“But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he? (1 Cor 10:20-22 KJV) Revelation Notes Southern Wisconsin
We move on to Verse 20 in our next post.
