I have already posted the prologue of my story "The War for Souls" and so I wanted to share with you the introduction of the first chapter. Keep in mind again that everything I post dealing with my story is subject to change because it is always a rough draft - an outline you might say. Ok, so enjoy:
Chapter One:
“Let us make man sovereign over this land we Holies of Three call Eden.” A great majestic voice spoke.
Another with a soft voice that sounded like the waves of the sea replied, “O King, Thy love unconditional strikes beginning with a mortal man. We Holies of Three shall make man sovereign over the land called Eden.”
“Great King, Teacher, and Son, do allow this servant a piece of this fortune. I will rise and be sovereign; why give my fortune to a mere mortal man?” A voice full of evil intent spoke in the courts.
“The Law has been writ; it cannot be changed so long as I shall live, fallen angel.” The first voice replied with authority.
“We, the Holies of Three, shall create a world where mortals live with free will. May it begin with a single breath of life.” The second added
And so it began. The King created by His own words a great land within the world of Spirea and named it Eden. The land of Eden became a kingdom great in beauty and was well known for its gardens and its abundance of fruit and vegetation. Its glory came from the sparkling unceasing waters that fed the land with its natural riches. The King by His own words divided the great waters into seas, rivers, ponds, lakes, and springs. From one giant river turned to four other rivers spreading all throughout the garden. The name of the first is Pison and it starts from this land and flows to the land of Havila, where there is gold and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone, which is known to every mortal man as the City of Gold. And the name of the second river is Gihon. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel which runs towards the east. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
He also made the ground to His liking: green grass, soft and hard sand, tall and small trees that bore fruit of all kinds. Afterwards, He allowed animals of all kinds of species dwell in this land – all anointed with a voice and a heart of service to the destined mortal man. This destined mortal man was mentored by the King Himself and his wife also was a servant of the King. The King blessed them with marriage and the land to start their life giving titles of nobility. In this land they were known as the King and Queen and it was important to know that this land was not only a land and kingdom, but ultimately the Garden of the King. The King’s Garden was the very beginning and ironically the beginning of my story...
There's more, but i'm not willing to share it just yet. I still have a lot of images, plots, words, etc to settle first and make it presentable (aka: make sense) :)
The next blog, i'll prolly talk about prophecy night ^.^
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Letting Go
Prophecy night...yes they are fantastic, but I feel like we're doing too much of it to the point where we're concentrating on the future and not on God. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks this way and am doing this. I just finally got to the point where I'm gonna live daily and not think about my future.
See, what my problem became was that I was starting to think about my future instead of just chillin. Instead of "What will it be? Your family or Me?", I feel God asking, "What will it be? Your 'future' or Me?" And I just realized, You're right, God. I don't care if i do NOT go to London. I don't care if I don't do anything in Europe. I don't care if I stay in America. Why? Because I know that YOU are the One who created me so YOU know what my heart desires. YOU know what's best for me.
You know what? I'm not gonna think or worry about my future anymore...because it takes too much time. Tomorrow is never granted. Only God knows the future. I know you guys probably don't have to this problem...yea i'm just pouring my heart out i guess..
"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. " Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesnt do it, sins." James 4:13-17
See, what my problem became was that I was starting to think about my future instead of just chillin. Instead of "What will it be? Your family or Me?", I feel God asking, "What will it be? Your 'future' or Me?" And I just realized, You're right, God. I don't care if i do NOT go to London. I don't care if I don't do anything in Europe. I don't care if I stay in America. Why? Because I know that YOU are the One who created me so YOU know what my heart desires. YOU know what's best for me.
You know what? I'm not gonna think or worry about my future anymore...because it takes too much time. Tomorrow is never granted. Only God knows the future. I know you guys probably don't have to this problem...yea i'm just pouring my heart out i guess..
"Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. " Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesnt do it, sins." James 4:13-17
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Dark Phases
Straying. Falling. Silent. Stillness. Wilderness. Darkness. Alone. Cold. Tears. Broken.
Ever felt any of these words? I have...plenty of times in all areas of my life. We have all felt them. We have all felt God being far away...no - us being far away...to the point where we feel like we're straying..falling..and it's silent..it's all still..could it be the wilderness? I dunno..it's dark..and i feel alone...is it getting cold in here? No, I feel cold. Wait, my cheeks feel hot..what, tears? why? Oh, I'm broken...now I see that's why.
God..I know You're here, but why do I miss You so? Why can I not hear You anymore? My dreams turned dark: black magical world. Scrawny black hands with sharp nails grabbing my shoulders. A murderer set out to kill me.
What happened to the peacful dreams? The ones where I kiss Your scarred wrists? The ones where I lay my head on Your lap as You carress my head with Your fingertips which give me dreams of heaven.
There are times in our lives where we might feel this way. Where we might get discouraged in our walk...where we will miss Him in our relationship with Jesus and we're trying our best to seek Him out because we miss Him so much, but have you ever thought that during those times it's when He is smiling at you because you are seeking Him? Dark dreams may be ways of saying, "Satan wants you more than you may ever know. Why? Because you're in way too deep with God."
Talk to God and seek Him with a passion. Reach to new levels and be bold..never give in to depressing thoughts - thoughts of how unworthy you are because you know what? You're worthy. You have great value in the eyes of God and His eyes are enflamed with intense fire...He sees things we cannot see and if He says that we have value in His eyes...you better believe it.
Ever felt any of these words? I have...plenty of times in all areas of my life. We have all felt them. We have all felt God being far away...no - us being far away...to the point where we feel like we're straying..falling..and it's silent..it's all still..could it be the wilderness? I dunno..it's dark..and i feel alone...is it getting cold in here? No, I feel cold. Wait, my cheeks feel hot..what, tears? why? Oh, I'm broken...now I see that's why.
God..I know You're here, but why do I miss You so? Why can I not hear You anymore? My dreams turned dark: black magical world. Scrawny black hands with sharp nails grabbing my shoulders. A murderer set out to kill me.
What happened to the peacful dreams? The ones where I kiss Your scarred wrists? The ones where I lay my head on Your lap as You carress my head with Your fingertips which give me dreams of heaven.
There are times in our lives where we might feel this way. Where we might get discouraged in our walk...where we will miss Him in our relationship with Jesus and we're trying our best to seek Him out because we miss Him so much, but have you ever thought that during those times it's when He is smiling at you because you are seeking Him? Dark dreams may be ways of saying, "Satan wants you more than you may ever know. Why? Because you're in way too deep with God."
Talk to God and seek Him with a passion. Reach to new levels and be bold..never give in to depressing thoughts - thoughts of how unworthy you are because you know what? You're worthy. You have great value in the eyes of God and His eyes are enflamed with intense fire...He sees things we cannot see and if He says that we have value in His eyes...you better believe it.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
It's Just A Story, But...
As I walked along the highway, I wiped the sweat off my brows and shook my shirt for the wind to blow through. The cars were passing by very fast - some very luxurious and others not. The people seemed pretty busy trying to get to their destination. When do they get the time to just breathe?
The sun hot and my jeans rubbing against my legs; my sweat running as the heat bounced from the dark highway and onto me. Low and behold, my journey on this particular highway was over when i saw the coming exit. The sign told me of a small town that it led to. I walked and followed the directions. I wonder if they're waiting for me...
I looked up to check the sun; afternoon was saying, "hello." I finally arrived; out on the green grass, I saw many children running around and the adults laughing by the fun and games that the festivities of Easter had brought. Here I was with my hair messed up with all the natural traveling and my clothes diritied from all my previous journeys. I wonder if they're waiting for me...
I walked with a smile. Maybe this time it will be different. Maybe this time they are waiting for me. Maybe this time... At any rate, I was walking towards the people in their best easter dresses and suits; the buildings of what it represented comforted me and I needed the comfort for I traveled very far and still have many places left to go.
"You there!" A voice called
I stopped and replied, "Yes?"
"What are you doing here?" The elderly had asked.
"I've come by to visit. May I-"
He interrupted, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave the premises."
"I'm sorry?"
I didn't understand. I thought they were waiting for me. I thought they wanted me. I thought...
"Sir, you're scaring the children and now, we don't want to make any trouble." He continued to tell me.
I sighed and understood, "I understand. I'll go if that is what you want."
I turned around with my heart once again heavy. When the man, who must have been a deacon, spoke to me, I felt the stares of condescension and mothers grabbing hold of their young ones to guard them from me; I could feel their desire to protect them from what they thought I was capable of.
Feeling guilty, the man called out, "Sir, what's your name? Maybe we can call the police so they can find you some sort of shelter or something."
I replied with a faint smile, "It's all right. I have many places to go - this being one of them. I am looking for my home and my children. I have a long journey ahead and I'm sorry for wasting your time."
I walked a couple of steps before turning to say, "My name? Some call me Father, but most call me Jesus."
The sun hot and my jeans rubbing against my legs; my sweat running as the heat bounced from the dark highway and onto me. Low and behold, my journey on this particular highway was over when i saw the coming exit. The sign told me of a small town that it led to. I walked and followed the directions. I wonder if they're waiting for me...
I looked up to check the sun; afternoon was saying, "hello." I finally arrived; out on the green grass, I saw many children running around and the adults laughing by the fun and games that the festivities of Easter had brought. Here I was with my hair messed up with all the natural traveling and my clothes diritied from all my previous journeys. I wonder if they're waiting for me...
I walked with a smile. Maybe this time it will be different. Maybe this time they are waiting for me. Maybe this time... At any rate, I was walking towards the people in their best easter dresses and suits; the buildings of what it represented comforted me and I needed the comfort for I traveled very far and still have many places left to go.
"You there!" A voice called
I stopped and replied, "Yes?"
"What are you doing here?" The elderly had asked.
"I've come by to visit. May I-"
He interrupted, "I'm sorry, but you'll have to leave the premises."
"I'm sorry?"
I didn't understand. I thought they were waiting for me. I thought they wanted me. I thought...
"Sir, you're scaring the children and now, we don't want to make any trouble." He continued to tell me.
I sighed and understood, "I understand. I'll go if that is what you want."
I turned around with my heart once again heavy. When the man, who must have been a deacon, spoke to me, I felt the stares of condescension and mothers grabbing hold of their young ones to guard them from me; I could feel their desire to protect them from what they thought I was capable of.
Feeling guilty, the man called out, "Sir, what's your name? Maybe we can call the police so they can find you some sort of shelter or something."
I replied with a faint smile, "It's all right. I have many places to go - this being one of them. I am looking for my home and my children. I have a long journey ahead and I'm sorry for wasting your time."
I walked a couple of steps before turning to say, "My name? Some call me Father, but most call me Jesus."
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
My Thoughts In The Early Morning
Here i am watching Joan of Arc. It rises me so many emotions and tears. WHY DO PEOPLE NOT LISTEN TO GOD?!!! WHY DO THEY NOT LISTEN?!! And when God grants victory, WHY DO THEY TURN FROM GOD?!! Why is it so hard? How easy it is for man to falter..how cold of the hardened heart. There is no trust. There is no faith. When reward taunts their eyes, they easily fake belief and it looks so believable and true, but in the underlining and in the deepest of their heart, they do not believe and they do not trust and have faith in God.
The world cries. Do you hear the cry? The screams are unbearable to those who hear. And the sight?? It's torment. It's terrible. i cannot speak anymore on this right now. i must pray:
Lord Lord i pray that i will never be greedy, selfish, hard in heart, or anything that will hinder me from even seeing You. Lord God, i pray that when taunted with even the most tempting of temptations, I WILL NOT FALTER IN OBEYING YOU!!! Lord, may i always seek Your face and trample on my enemies - the demons who work for the one who is so below You. i pray for my soul to brighten this dark world and that I will rise up with my brothers and sisters to make a flaming torch that no one has ever seen before. Unclog my ears daily. Unscale my eyes daily. Remove all sin from my tongue and mind. Control my thoughts to be only Your thoughts. May my mind focus on You and You alone. Guide me, console me. Lord Lord! I pray that Your voice - Your magnificent and powerful two-edged sword tongue will speak through me. God, my Father, i cannot sleep. It's 5:34 am. i have never slept this late i think. My mind is pumping. It hurts and it's hard to breathe. This is really important. i want to be someone You want me to be. Whatever YOU want, i want to want. Whatever Your will is, i desire my will to be Your will. You. You. You. You. You. You. It has always been about You. How stupid am i whenever i grow arrogant...whenever i grow prideful...whenever i feel like i don't need You...whenever i stray from You!! Reveal Your mysteries. Reveal Your knowledge. Lord Jesus, can i be in unison with You now? Can i see Your eyes - Your lovely fire-consumed eyes? May i touch Your feet? May i even come close and sit near Your throne?
i have some words to the one who tries so hard to make me fall:
satan, you are evil; you cannot hurt me; you cannot win - you don't even deserve caps when i'm talking to you right now. you have been defeated by what Christ Jesus, the Son of God, did on the cross and His resurrection completed the process to connect Him with me. I am His - not yours. I love Him - not you. I obey Him - not you. I serve Him - not you. I bow down to Him - not you. I abhor sin and you. - you who lead so many into deception. When you know deeply that you cannot win against God, yet you still stubbornly hold on to false hope that you can win. Without God, you are nothing. And because God loves me and with me always, you are nothing to me.
The world cries. Do you hear the cry? The screams are unbearable to those who hear. And the sight?? It's torment. It's terrible. i cannot speak anymore on this right now. i must pray:
Lord Lord i pray that i will never be greedy, selfish, hard in heart, or anything that will hinder me from even seeing You. Lord God, i pray that when taunted with even the most tempting of temptations, I WILL NOT FALTER IN OBEYING YOU!!! Lord, may i always seek Your face and trample on my enemies - the demons who work for the one who is so below You. i pray for my soul to brighten this dark world and that I will rise up with my brothers and sisters to make a flaming torch that no one has ever seen before. Unclog my ears daily. Unscale my eyes daily. Remove all sin from my tongue and mind. Control my thoughts to be only Your thoughts. May my mind focus on You and You alone. Guide me, console me. Lord Lord! I pray that Your voice - Your magnificent and powerful two-edged sword tongue will speak through me. God, my Father, i cannot sleep. It's 5:34 am. i have never slept this late i think. My mind is pumping. It hurts and it's hard to breathe. This is really important. i want to be someone You want me to be. Whatever YOU want, i want to want. Whatever Your will is, i desire my will to be Your will. You. You. You. You. You. You. It has always been about You. How stupid am i whenever i grow arrogant...whenever i grow prideful...whenever i feel like i don't need You...whenever i stray from You!! Reveal Your mysteries. Reveal Your knowledge. Lord Jesus, can i be in unison with You now? Can i see Your eyes - Your lovely fire-consumed eyes? May i touch Your feet? May i even come close and sit near Your throne?
i have some words to the one who tries so hard to make me fall:
satan, you are evil; you cannot hurt me; you cannot win - you don't even deserve caps when i'm talking to you right now. you have been defeated by what Christ Jesus, the Son of God, did on the cross and His resurrection completed the process to connect Him with me. I am His - not yours. I love Him - not you. I obey Him - not you. I serve Him - not you. I bow down to Him - not you. I abhor sin and you. - you who lead so many into deception. When you know deeply that you cannot win against God, yet you still stubbornly hold on to false hope that you can win. Without God, you are nothing. And because God loves me and with me always, you are nothing to me.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The White Stone and the Morning Star
Carrying on from the last post, I'll explain what the two things are: "...and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." and "And I will give him the morning star." Verse 17 and 28 of chapter 2 in Revelation.
Basically, the white stone is a ticket and a reward and the morning star is another name for Jesus Christ.
FIRST off, the white stone:
According to Baker Commentary on the Bible, white stone = ticket/voting piece. "The new name on the white stone is that of being a Christian, for whom everything was made new (new covenant [Luke 22:20, 1Cor 2:25, 2Cor 3:6, Heb 8:8], new commandment [John 13:34, 1John2:8], new creature [2Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15], new man [Eph 2:15, 4:24], new heavens and new earth [2 Peter 3:13, Rev 21:1], New Jerusalem [Rev 3:12, 21:2], all things new [2 Cor 5:17, Rev 21:5]. In antiquity a white stone was used as an entrance ticket, or voting piece. Here it guarantees us entrance into God's kingdom and blessing" (pg 1205).
According to William MacDonald's Believer's Bible Commentary, "The white stone has been explained in many ways. It was a token of acquittal in a legal case. It was a symbol of victory in an athletic contest. It was an expression of welcome given by a host to his guest. It seems clear that it is a reward given by the Lord to the overcomer and expressing individual approval by Him. Alford says that the new name indicates acceptance by God and title to glory" (pg 2357).
According to MacArthur's Bible Commentary, "white stone. When an athlete won in the games, he was often given, as part of his prize, a white stone which was an admission pass to the winner's celebration afterwards. This may picture the moment when the overcomer will receive his ticket to the eternal victory celebration in heaven. new name. A personal message from Christ tot he ones He loves, which serves as their admission pass into eternal glory. It is so personal that only the person who receives it will know what it is" (pg 1997-1998).
SECOND, the morning star:
In all of the commentary's that I've read, they've all said that the morning star in this case means Jesus Christ. You can find what they have to say in the same pages i have already given you for the topic of the white stone.
The one thing that made go "eh." to that is the fact that in the beginning of speaking to that church leading up to the verse containing "morning star" (i'm looking at verse 18 if u'd like to follow along.) It clearly says, "These are the words of the Son of God..." and I thought, "why would Jesus say, 'I will aslo give him Christ' when it's already Him? Why couldn't He just say, 'I will give him Me'?"
So it made me think that the word "morning star" must have meant something else; i was confused. BUT remember the Trinity? A term for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Remembering them as one, verse 18-28 is different. Even though in verse 18 says, "These are the words of the Son of God..." it could also take in the form of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit because they are one and the same (haha i learned that from ENLI :) when we talked about the Holy Spirit [which Dave suggested that we recommend the course to everyone!! PLEASE TAKE ENLI!!! IT'S A BLAST AND U LEARN A LOT!!].
Anyway, i'm done for today. Maybe next time, I'll go over Rev. 3?? But then again, i want to talk about the animals in ch. 4 (along with Ezekiel and Daniel...it's amazing how everything in the Bible ties together and talks about the same thing but written from different times and in different books of the Bible ^.^)
Basically, the white stone is a ticket and a reward and the morning star is another name for Jesus Christ.
FIRST off, the white stone:
According to Baker Commentary on the Bible, white stone = ticket/voting piece. "The new name on the white stone is that of being a Christian, for whom everything was made new (new covenant [Luke 22:20, 1Cor 2:25, 2Cor 3:6, Heb 8:8], new commandment [John 13:34, 1John2:8], new creature [2Cor 5:17, Gal 6:15], new man [Eph 2:15, 4:24], new heavens and new earth [2 Peter 3:13, Rev 21:1], New Jerusalem [Rev 3:12, 21:2], all things new [2 Cor 5:17, Rev 21:5]. In antiquity a white stone was used as an entrance ticket, or voting piece. Here it guarantees us entrance into God's kingdom and blessing" (pg 1205).
According to William MacDonald's Believer's Bible Commentary, "The white stone has been explained in many ways. It was a token of acquittal in a legal case. It was a symbol of victory in an athletic contest. It was an expression of welcome given by a host to his guest. It seems clear that it is a reward given by the Lord to the overcomer and expressing individual approval by Him. Alford says that the new name indicates acceptance by God and title to glory" (pg 2357).
According to MacArthur's Bible Commentary, "white stone. When an athlete won in the games, he was often given, as part of his prize, a white stone which was an admission pass to the winner's celebration afterwards. This may picture the moment when the overcomer will receive his ticket to the eternal victory celebration in heaven. new name. A personal message from Christ tot he ones He loves, which serves as their admission pass into eternal glory. It is so personal that only the person who receives it will know what it is" (pg 1997-1998).
SECOND, the morning star:
In all of the commentary's that I've read, they've all said that the morning star in this case means Jesus Christ. You can find what they have to say in the same pages i have already given you for the topic of the white stone.
The one thing that made go "eh." to that is the fact that in the beginning of speaking to that church leading up to the verse containing "morning star" (i'm looking at verse 18 if u'd like to follow along.) It clearly says, "These are the words of the Son of God..." and I thought, "why would Jesus say, 'I will aslo give him Christ' when it's already Him? Why couldn't He just say, 'I will give him Me'?"
So it made me think that the word "morning star" must have meant something else; i was confused. BUT remember the Trinity? A term for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Remembering them as one, verse 18-28 is different. Even though in verse 18 says, "These are the words of the Son of God..." it could also take in the form of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit because they are one and the same (haha i learned that from ENLI :) when we talked about the Holy Spirit [which Dave suggested that we recommend the course to everyone!! PLEASE TAKE ENLI!!! IT'S A BLAST AND U LEARN A LOT!!].
Anyway, i'm done for today. Maybe next time, I'll go over Rev. 3?? But then again, i want to talk about the animals in ch. 4 (along with Ezekiel and Daniel...it's amazing how everything in the Bible ties together and talks about the same thing but written from different times and in different books of the Bible ^.^)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
"The mystery of the seven stars...and of the seven golden lampstands." Rev 1:20
So i've been reading Rev. 2 over and over and over again. What really gets to me is how holy God is and how imperfect I am. Read the chapter before you read more into my entry.
The first church he talks to vs 1-7 is where you see that the seven lampstands He stands in the midst of are the seven churches He talks to. Granted, you are given the representation in the last verse of ch 1. But it's very intriguing to me that all the verses in the Bible coorelate to each other in every way! Why? Because they all point to God :) See the connection in vs 5? "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."
Another thing that really interests me is that each introduction and conclusion are different for each church. To the 1st, intro: these are the words of him who holds the 7 stars in his right hand and walks among the 7 golden lampstands. conc: I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the 2nd, intro: these are the words of him who is the first and the last, who died and came to life again. conc: will not be hurt at all by the second death (meaning heaven).
To the 3rd, intro: these are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. conc: I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (more on this white stone later)
To the 4th, intro: these are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. conc: I will give authority over the nations - he will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery - just as i have received authority from my father. I will also give him the morning star. (more on the morning star later)
There are three more, but that's covered in ch. 3. Now in between each intro and conclusion are different likes and dislikes that God has with each church. in the 1st, He didn't like how they forgot Him (vs 4). in the 2nd, He was basically encouraging them to have more faith in the midst of "...the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (vs 9). in the 3rd, He didn't like the teachings of Nicolaitians that some of them had (vs 14-15). In the 4th, He didn't like how they tolerate Jezebel (vs 20).
Now look at the church (body of Christians/congregation) in general in America alone. Are there churches that have lost their first love - God? Are there churches in the midst of hypocrites? Are there churches that hold on to idols or sexual immorality? Are there churches that tolerate men and women who call themselves prophets and prophetess' but aren't? The answer to all these is yes.
Judgment is severe for God is just, but He is also love so repent and He will forgive. Revival is needed...enough said.
The first church he talks to vs 1-7 is where you see that the seven lampstands He stands in the midst of are the seven churches He talks to. Granted, you are given the representation in the last verse of ch 1. But it's very intriguing to me that all the verses in the Bible coorelate to each other in every way! Why? Because they all point to God :) See the connection in vs 5? "Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."
Another thing that really interests me is that each introduction and conclusion are different for each church. To the 1st, intro: these are the words of him who holds the 7 stars in his right hand and walks among the 7 golden lampstands. conc: I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
To the 2nd, intro: these are the words of him who is the first and the last, who died and came to life again. conc: will not be hurt at all by the second death (meaning heaven).
To the 3rd, intro: these are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. conc: I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it. (more on this white stone later)
To the 4th, intro: these are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze. conc: I will give authority over the nations - he will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery - just as i have received authority from my father. I will also give him the morning star. (more on the morning star later)
There are three more, but that's covered in ch. 3. Now in between each intro and conclusion are different likes and dislikes that God has with each church. in the 1st, He didn't like how they forgot Him (vs 4). in the 2nd, He was basically encouraging them to have more faith in the midst of "...the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan." (vs 9). in the 3rd, He didn't like the teachings of Nicolaitians that some of them had (vs 14-15). In the 4th, He didn't like how they tolerate Jezebel (vs 20).
Now look at the church (body of Christians/congregation) in general in America alone. Are there churches that have lost their first love - God? Are there churches in the midst of hypocrites? Are there churches that hold on to idols or sexual immorality? Are there churches that tolerate men and women who call themselves prophets and prophetess' but aren't? The answer to all these is yes.
Judgment is severe for God is just, but He is also love so repent and He will forgive. Revival is needed...enough said.
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