Sardisean Church Age Messenger

REVELATION 3:1  And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 

The fifth angel or the messenger in the church of Sardis is none other than Martin Luther. He becomes more familiar to the Bible scholar, or the teacher, or the laity, rather, today.      

Now, the church age begin about 1520, when the Roman universal Catholic Church had full swing. That lasted until October the thirty-first 1570 A.D., when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-fifth thesis on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, and from that time the Reformation was on. Did you get those dates? From that date the Reformation set in; the fire begins to fly. He protested that Catholic church standing there, that ink pen like that, he said, “This be the holy body of Christ? It’s a wafer and a little wine.” And whammy, he throwed it on the floor. That’s right.     

     He protested the Catholic Church, and the–that began the little snatch-out from then. All right, look, it was on. But it was more of a–a fight for political power than it was for the real true church, for the Christian standards. They only fought for a political right to come out of the church and make another church. They never reformed, coming out of the Catholic Church to bring back the Holy Ghost and power in the church, because they denied it. See? It was a political rally. That’s their… It would certainly fit, “Thou has a name that thou livest and are dead.” In other words, he just brought out the Protestant denomination; that’s all. He brought a daughter out of the church, that’s exactly what had happened.     

     Now, it was a great political rally, but it was not for the Holy Scriptures and the–and the Holy Ghost. It was a political rally that he did get rid of some of the old relics of the crucifix, and “Hail Mary’s,” and all of that. But he still brought out a catechism. He still brought out this… What do you call it? Consecration services or whatever it was down there when they go down on the Easter morning, and the pastor wishes them a “Merry Christmas,” you know. “Don’t see them no more till Christmas time,” he said, you know. It’s a confirming service, what I’m trying to say. Take them down and confirm them, give them the first communion and confirm them. There is no such a thing as confirming. The only confirming that’s mentioned in the Bible is when God confirmed His Word with signs and wonders following them. That’s the confirming, not the confirming of belonging to a Lutheran church. It’s God confirming His Word in you. “And the Lord would work with them (Mark 16), confirming the Word with signs following.” That’s the confirming of the Pentecostal church. God confirms Himself alive as a miracle-working God in the church, speaking in tongues, interpreting of tongues, and doing the same things they did at the beginning.     

     Luther turned them from the idols, but into more like a politic, or a–or a denomination, or organization to make themselves just another organization (an image like the first one) and try to outgrow it by the denomination. Martin Luther who got his eyes opened in the Scripture. And he know the just shall live by faith. And the Pillar of Fire begin to move out of that fifteen hundred years of dark ages, and Martin Luther saw the Pillar of Fire moving, he blasted the Gospel trumpet and went out with it, build under it. But the thing of it was, Luther organized the church.

Thyatirean Church Age Messenger

REVELATION 2:18  And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet [are] like fine brass; 

We’re on the fourth church age, Thyatira, great church age known as the Dark Age. This great saint here was Columba. He was a great man of God. Now, I’ve got his history kind of written down here. The star was Columba, from Ireland and Scotland, which was a nephew to Saint Martin; and lived about sixty years after Saint Patrick, and so his ministry begins about sixty years after Saint Patrick. He never did accept the Roman doctrine. He was a great man of faith. He rejected the Roman teaching, never did go to Rome, and rejected it altogether. As I couldn’t see where they’d ever canonized him, like they did Saint Martin and them; they didn’t canonize him and Irenaeus because they were still in that church that had signs and wonders of Pentecost, but believed. He never took the Roman teaching, on their teachings. He took the Bible for the teaching after his godly mother, the sister of Saint Martin, and never took the Roman teachings at any time.

He taught that signs of Mark 16 should follow every believer. Amen. That’s the kind of guy I like, believers. He heard God’s audible voice calling. That’s another good sign too. See? Then nothing could stop him after that; he was on the road when he heard the audible voice of God. One miracle… I got several wrote down here, but if we just take this one.

One miracle was that when he had went to a certain city that the Lord had sent him to, and the city didn’t want to receive him, so they went out there and tried to took the musicians, and so forth, and closed the gates and tried to drown him out by playing, the musicians. And he begins to preach, and it drowned out the musicians and the gates come open; he went on in and preached anyhow. He got the whole bunch converted.  Here’s another little one I’d like to just kind of speak about. He went into a city. They had their cities walled in those days, of course.

So he went to the city, and they turned him out. He was going away, and the chief’s boy fell violently sick, and they sent down the road after the good saint. He come back and laid hisself across the dying boy, and he come to life. His church was filled with the Holy Ghost; he would have nothing less; for every member of his church must be filled with the Holy Ghost. And he protested and highly hated the hierarchy of Rome. I believe he was the star of the age!

Pergamean Church Age Messenger

REVELATION 2:12  12     ¶  And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;   

We are now in the third church age and we want to know who is the star messenger of this day or the Angel of this church. We have picked Saint Martin. It was the revelation given to us by God, because reading of the other saints during that time Saint Martin was a godly man; and to my opinion he was ten times more apostle than Saint Patrick was.

Now, Saint Patrick was Saint Martin’s nephew; Saint Martin’s sister was the mother of Saint Patrick. And Saint Martin was… Of course, that was Saint Patrick’s uncle.    Now, his life was from A.D. 315 to 399. Here’s the reason we picked him in preference to other saints of that day because the way that he held himself. And under the inspiration of God, the Catholic Church did not canonize him; they did not recognize him, and that’s another reason I picked him. And all these that we’re seeing, that’s got the spiritual ministry, the early church turned down. The Nicolaitane church turned it down, because of these things; they were spiritual. And as I’ve drawed here, the church was being squeezed out, and the Nicolaitane doctrine was in the majority; and the true church was in the minority, has always been.    

The life of Saint Martin is one of the greatest miracle filled lives of anybody in the church ages. From all the way from Saint Paul out, he was one of the most spiritual men. One of his first miracles was… He was a soldier to begin with, I believe. And then one day he was coming by and there was someone, a man laying cold and shivering, and all the people that was willing, or, not willing, but was able to help the man, they just passed him by like the priest and the Levites did in the Good Samaritan. But when Saint Martin come by, realizing his duty as a Christian believer, he had one coat, a cloak over his shoulders; he cut it in two with his sword and gave half of it to the beggar; he took the other half. And that night begins his career; for Jesus Christ appeared to him in a vision, wrapped in that same robe that he cut half in two; which fulfilled the Scripture, Insomuch as you have done unto these, you have done it unto Me.”   So take that for a lesson. Whatever you do to somebody, you’re doing it unto Christ. That was his first miracle and the beginning of his ministry. He was absolutely demolishing heathenism, and he was firmly against the Church of Rome. He absolutely disagreed with all of the first church of Rome’s bishops, they were getting worldly and so forth like that, and he withstood them. He certainly was against them. That’s a miracle that he even lived in them kind of times.   

He was destroying a pagan grove one day, and tearing down a pagan altar, and there was a sacred tree standing by the pagan altar. And he was cutting this tree down, and many standing by were resenting it. He said, “If I be a man of God, tie me the way that tree’s leaning and let the tree fall on me. If I be a man of God… If I’m not a man of God, the tree will kill me. If I am a man of God, my God can twist that tree somewhere else.” Quite a challenge… So they started chopping on the tree; and when the tree started to fall, it switched around and killed a bunch of the spectators. God twisted it back up the hill: a miracle. Oh, all the time there was miracles in his meetings.   

Another miracle that I thought to speak of was a dead baby that he laid his body across. And it rose back to life again, after he had prayed for some time for this baby. Another one’s outstanding to me, was the emperor. And he was going to kill some of God’s Holy Ghost-filled people. And of course he was the right hand of the bishop of the first Church of Rome at that time, and he actually was a pope before he was called a pope. His name was D-a-m-a-s-u-r, and he was putting all the Christians to death that he could get a hold of to put to death. And this emperor’s wife, a pagan, and darkness over her own heart. And when Saint Martin came to intercede, his wife put him next to it that he would try to intercede for these Christians not to be killed. ‘Course when he finally got to him, didn’t do any good, because he was just the right-hand man to this pope; so he killed those Holy Ghost-filled Christians anyhow. But Saint Martin wanted the interview with him, and the guards stopped him at the gate. Well, Saint Martin fell on his face, and lay there, and prayed until God showed him to go in. When he rose up off there, he walked through them locked doors, and they opened by themselves, walked right on. Now, this is history; this is just not somebody writing about him, and just as a little… If any thing, they would be prejudice, if it would be some church talking; or the, I’d say, at least, especially the papal church, they wouldn’t mention those things. But see, the history quotes the truth. See?   And this man walked right up, Saint Martin and right by every guard, everything else, right into the front of the emperor. And the emperor didn’t want to respect God’s servant. You know, that’s not mannerly. So he just turned his head and wouldn’t even respect him. You know what God did? He tried to talk to him, and he just kept his head turned, and God was going to make this heathen pay respect to His servant. So He just set the thing afire, and it scorched him all out of his seat, and raised him up, made him stand up. Now, that’s Bible history, “Nicene Council.” He had to respect God’s servant; He made him stand up. It even scorched the seat where he was setting; fire went through his body and scorched the bottom of the seat, and he had to jump up from there. God has a way of doing things, you know. “God’s able of these stones to raise children to Abraham.”    

Now, this is one I was very fond of. While he was one day waiting for his people in prayer in his study room. He was a great man and he carried this Holy Spirit-filled church in Tours, and all throughout all the country, the Christians did miracles and signs and wonders. See, God speaks to His messenger; the messenger speaks to the laity. And then that’s what takes place. You see? He keeps the laity and him alike in God (You see?), the Holy Spirit flowing through the group of them.    When he was there praying while his congregation was waiting. And there was a beggar come to the door and knocked at his door, and he opened the door (and he was busy), and he told him he wanted a garment. He was naked and had nothing; it was cold, and he said… He sent him around to see the chief deacon. And the chief deacon was irritable with him and run him out. And when he did, it run around; he come back again and told Saint Martin that deacon had run him out. And so then, about that time, this chief deacon come back in and told him kind of sharply, that, “Your congregation’s waiting on you. You’re keeping them waiting.” But he was in prayer. Its better that he stay in prayer till he feels led of God to go out.   

And this beggar comes back to the door. And Saint Martin took off his own good garment, and give it to the beggar, and had the chief deacon to go and get another one and bring it to him. So he had to get a garment anyhow, and put it on Saint Martin. And he wore the lesser garment out before the people instead of his good garment. See it just goes to show: give the best that you have (See?); give your life; give your time; give everything to Christ. And that same Spirit that lived in Christ lives in you, and–and your influence in your neighborhood and upon the people that you deal with, will be so much like Christ till it’ll work the same thing Christ did.   Finally it’ll come to pass that the people laid in the shadows and was healed (That–that’s right.), just so much power of love around them. And they said that when Saint Martin was preaching, after he come out with this lesser robe on, that the entire congregation noticed a glow of Light all around him because he had done the right thing.

Smyrnaean Church Age Messenger

REVELATION 2:8 “And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive” 

The Message come on down into Smyrna; there stood Irenaeus, the great saint of God, speaking in tongues, power of God, raising the dead, healing the sick; He was walking in the Light.   Now, historians setting here are going to disagree with me on this man; but on the church of Smyrna, Irenaeus is who I know that was the angel of that day. Polycarp, many of you will say it was Polycarp, rather, you’d say it was him. But Polycarp leaned more to the organization and to the Catholic coming-on religion. But Irenaeus was a man that spoke in tongues, and had the power of God, and signs followed him. That’s it. He was God’s angel light, and he pulled the Light on over after Polycarp had been crucified or murdered, assassinated, then Irenaeus was one of his students, and Polycarp was a student to Saint Paul–or Saint John. And then Irenaeus taken his place, and he brought the light. I want to give you the reason why we chose Irenaeus instead of Polycarp.

Now, most all clergymen wants to think (and Bible teachers) that that angel was Polycarp. Now, Polycarp was a disciple of Saint John; that is true. And Polycarp sealed it; he was a martyr; they stabbed him under the heart and killed him. Now, but he was a great man, a notable man, a godly man, sweet, no doubt one of the greatest Christians we’ve ever had. And there was nothing you could say against his life. The reason we chose Irenaeus: because we believe that Irenaeus was more closer to the Scripture than Polycarp was. Because Polycarp leaned kindly towards the Roman idea of setting up an organization. And–and Irenaeus was firmly against it; he absolutely denounced it. And then, as we all know, the great issue was coming at the Nicene Council; one of the great issues was whether God was three or God was one. And Irenaeus took the side that God was God now and just One. I

renaeus said that all these titles are summed up into one Name, under one God, and they are only titles of what He was. He was the Rose of Sharon. That’s what He was. That’s a title. He was the Morning Star. He was Alpha; He was Omega. That’s titles of what He was. He was Father. He was Son. He was Holy Ghost. But there’s one God, one God, and His Name is One. And that’s one reason that I thought Irenaeus was correct in his–in his diagnosis here or interpretation of the Scripture. 

Another thing that I’d like to read you, it’s found in the book: “How Did It Happen?” And this is by the historian. And, “How Did It Happen?” by R. C. Hazeltine, the history of the early churches. And here on page 180, “The spiritual Gifts In Irenaeus’ Time, A.D. 177 to 202″ It was in Irenaeus’ time that the most of the apostolic church of France had all the gifts of the Holy Ghost.” That was from him teaching. See? “Irenaeus’ church members at Lyons (That’s Lyon, France.) spoke with tongues. It was not uncommon to see someone dead brought back to life. Healing was–healing was an everyday occurrence in all the evangelistic–evangelical churches everywhere. (That Irenaeus knowed how to teach.) Miracles were frequent. In fact, those churches were never without a miraculous manifestation of God’s Presence either by vision, super-extension of the elements of nature, and a miracle, to remind the evangelical Christians of that day they was His beloved disciples. But from the history of the past, we cannot glean a single instance of raising the dead in the first Roman church.”That’s people that don’t–not interested in either side; they just telling the truth. It’s historians. He had the same faith that Paul and the disciples had handed down. That’s why I believe that he was the angel of the church of Smyrna, because he was–he had the same Scriptural teachings; and the same Scriptural teachings upon the basis of God’s Word will produce the same thing every time.

If you will just simply take God’s formula and carry it out to the letter, no matter what the churches say, just follow it just the way it says, it’ll produce the same thing. And that’s what Irenaeus did. Now, I think that Polycarp was a fine man, understand; but I say that he leaned too much to organize the church, and like the Nicolaitanes was doing. They were organizing the church, and–and bringing a brotherhood together. Which seems all right intellectually, but (You see?), the Spirit is so far ahead of the intellectual till the–you can’t even think right to–to the Spirit. “My high thoughts are higher than your thoughts,” saith God. “My ways are higher than your ways.” So there’s only one way to do; that does just follow Him by the blueprint. That’s right.

Ephesus Church Age Messenger

Revelation 2:1      ¶  Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; 

After we revealed the seven seals, we’ll now study about the church age messengers whom God has chosen for each age. And there are seven church ages, and every age there is an angel if you notice who has a message from God!  Now, each one of these churches, according to the Scripture there, had an angel.

How many knows what an “angel” means? It’s a “messenger,” a messenger. And there–there was seven angels to the seven churches, meant “seven messengers.” Now, and they was stars in His hand. And in His hand these–these twelve–these seven stars that was to reflect the Light of His Presence in the day of night that we were living in, as the stars reflects the sun to the earth, makes it light so we can walk, and get around at nighttime (Revelation 1:20).

Now, we find out then, that during this time, that each one of those angels had a position and place. And, brethren, tonight we don’t get to it, because we know this angel of the first church, but it’s going to be a mysterious and glorious thing to find and pull out of history before you, the angels of these other churches. The angel of the first church was “Saint Paul”. Now, the first church age started about A.D. 53, when Paul established the church in–in Ephesus. On his missionary journey he established the church at–at Ephesus, the Ephesian church, and was the pastor of it till when he was beheaded in 66–make him about twenty-two years the pastor of the Ephesian church.

After his death then we’re told that Saint Paul–or Saint John the Divine became the pastor of the church and carried it on up into this age, and the church age lapped over to 170. Next, Timothy was the first bishop of the church at Ephesus. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus. In Paul’s time it was a great church.

According to Acts,[15] Paul was born in Tarsus, Cilicia in Asia Minor, or modern-day Turkey, under the name Saul, “an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin, circumcised on the eighth day” (Philippians 3:5). However, Paul’s own letters never mention this as his birthplace, nor is the name “Saul” alluded to. Acts records that Paul was a Roman citizen — a privilege he used a number of times in his defence, appealing against convictions in Judaea to Rome (Acts 22:25 and Acts 27–28). According to Christian tradition, the parents of Saint Paul lived in Jish(Giscala),Galilee.[16].[citation needed] According to Acts 22:3, he studied in Jerusalem under the Rabbi Gamaliel, well known in Paul’s time. There is at least some doubt about this, as Paul writes that he was unknown by face to those in Jerusalem before visiting there as an adult and he seems only able to quote the Jewish scriptures in the Greek Septuagint translation and not in the Hebrew originals. He described himself as a Pharisee (Philippians 3:5). He supported himself during his travels and while preaching — a fact he alludes to a number of times (e.g., 1 Cor. 9:13-15). According to Acts 18:3 he worked as a tentmaker.

He first appears in the pages of the New Testament as a witness to the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7:57-8:3). He was, as he described himself, a persistent persecutor of the Church (1 Corinthians 15:9, Galatians 1:13) (almost all of whose members were Jewish or Jewish proselytes), until his experience on the Road to Damascus which resulted in his conversion.

The house of St. Ananias in DamascusPaul himself is very disinclined to talk about the precise character of his conversion (Galatians 1:11–24) though he uses it as authority for his independence from the apostles. In Acts there are three accounts of his conversion experience:

The first is a description of the event itself (Acts 9:1–20) in which he is described as falling to the ground, as a result of a flash of light from the sky, hearing the words “Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?”
The second is Paul’s witness to the event before the crowd in Jerusalem (Acts 22:1–22).
The third is his testimony before King Agrippa II (Acts 26:1–24).
In the accounts, he is described as being led, blinded by the light, to Damascus where his sight was restored by a disciple called Ananias and he was baptized.