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Rev 3:19-22  What the Spirit Says to the Angel of the Church of the Laodiceans – Part 3

Rev 3:19  As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Rev 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Introduction

Last week we were reminded that these admonitions are all to the angels of the various churches within “he that reads and keeps the things written therein (and within) he that hath been given an ears to hear.” In other words, every word to all seven churches is addressed to every one of God’s elect down through the centuries which have passed since Christ’s death and resurrection. These messages to these seven angels are the words of Christ, and they are addressed to these seven churches within each of us. They are addressed to the angels of the kingdom of God within us:

Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Once again these words to the “seven churches which are in Asia” all serve to demonstrate the ‘is, was and will be’ nature that is Christ and His words; which words “will never pass away.”

Mat 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
Mat 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Christ’s words never pass away, including these words.

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and [a thousand years later (Rev 20:7)] they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [Greek: krisis, judgment].

If we “keep the things which are written therein, then we must believe what is “written therein” is the Truth, such as:

Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh [in “this present time”, Rom 8:18] shall not be hurt of the second death.

These are words which must be believed and kept (Reb 1:3) by “he that overcometh”. This promise is repeated in:

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead [Those in “the resurrection of judgment”, Joh 5:29] lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

If we are given eyes that see and ears that hear, then we will believe and “keep the things” written in the above verses. We must be very careful that we do not stretch the meaning of ‘living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’ to the extent that we deny that “He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death”, and deny that “the second death has no power over… he that hath a part in the… blessed and holy… first resurrection”.

We will live by every one of the promises made to that “blessed and holy” group, if we are granted to have a part in the first resurrection, and we will keep “every word” promised to us, just as those in the resurrection to judgment will keep every word which applies to them. That is the meaning of “hearing the words of this prophecy and keeping the things written therein.” Properly understanding this is so important to understand that it is so stated at the very beginning of this book of Revelation, and it is repeated again at the very end, along with a very ominous warning:

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Which of these words are the revelation of Jesus Christ? Is the revelation of Jesus Christ just what we read in chapter one describing His glorified, risen spiritual body? Or is the revelation of Jesus Christ “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God?”

Which of these words are the revelation of Jesus Christ? Is the revelation of Jesus Christ just the words we read in chapter one describing His glorified, risen spiritual body? Or is the revelation of Jesus Christ “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God”? Most of the ministers of the churches of Babylon would have you believe that the revelation of Jesus Christ involves no sin in the flesh of the body of Jesus Christ. As “the head” of “His body, which is the church” (Col 1:24), it is certainly true that even though Christ “emptied himself (and) took on Him the seed of Abraham”, He Himself “knew no sin” (2Co 5:21). It is equally true that the Christ who “knew no sin” was the head of a spiritual body, which is called “His body”, and that “body of Christ” is still alive in physical bodies of “sinful flesh”, also known as “earthen vessels”, still “fill[ing] up that which is behind in the afflictions of Christ.”

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure [Christ, vs 6] in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Christ knew this commandment to “keep the things which are written therein” would be ignored and misunderstood by those who do not know that He and His words ‘are, were and will be.’ He also knew that the whole world would be deceived and would never acknowledge that the revelation of Jesus Christ is the revelation of Jesus Christ within those who are His body. Christ knew in advance that the whole church world would one day deny all of this, and the whole world would claim that this is a book about end-time events, having to do only with that generation which would immediately precede His physical rulership and reign over “the kingdom of this world” (Greek, ‘kosmos’, Rev 11:15) meaning this physical earth. So He twice emphatically tells us just exactly how much of this book we are to “keep”, and He does that right here in the book of revelation. The first time is at the very beginning of this book.

Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

“The things that are written therein” is exactly how much we are to keep. As His elect we must keep “[all] the things written therein.” The fact that this statement is repeated at the end of this book demonstrates how important it is that we understand what we are reading:

Rev 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

This same message telling us that we are to keep all “the sayings of the prophecy of this book?” is twice recorded earlier in the gospels where Christ tells the adversary in a very emphatic way:

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Luk 4:4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

There are no scriptural grounds at all to say, as one brother told me, “My beast has only six heads”. Lest there be any doubt that all of this is for all of us, we are seven times told:

Rev 3:22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 1:11 [Christ] Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.

We must note that Laodicea is the seventh of the seven churches, and the sad state of the angel of this church within us tells us that these seven angels signify what we are as carnal babes in Christ who have never gotten past the six milk doctrines of Hebrews six. Let’s look at those doctrines, but before we do, let’s also look at the preceding verses of chapter 5 which demonstrate that these doctrines mentioned in the first two verses of chapter six are, one and all, mere “milk of the word… the first principles of the oracles of God.”

Heb 5:12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Those who agree with Christ that we are to “keep the things written therein, [and] live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, [and] fill up in our own bodies what is behind of the afflictions of the Christ” will certainly “have their senses exercised to know good and evil.”

“Living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” requires that one be able to digest “strong meat.” However, it is given to very few to go beyond these six milk doctrines, which are enumerated immediately after being called “the first principles of the oracles of God… milk, and not strong meat.” Some of us still think that milk is meat:

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

So many who have discovered the doctrine of “as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive” actually believe that they have just stumbled upon a T-bone steak of spiritual “meat of the word.” I certainly felt that way when I first was introduced to this doctrine. The fact is that it was, at first, more than I could stomach or digest. Nevertheless these verses of Hebrews 5:12 through Hebrews 6:2 reveal that eonian judgment, which is the doctrine of universal salvation for all men, is nothing more that a doctrine of milk, which we must go beyond if we are ever to “go on unto perfection.”

What is “going on unto perfection?” That is exactly what “the revelation of Jesus Christ” within us, and keeping the things written therein” are all about. That is what the whole revelation addressed to these seven angels of these seven churches is all about. Only “he that hath an ear can hear what it is that the spirit says to the churches” and only he that has been given an ear to hear will “leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ, and go on unto perfection. All others will stay on the milk of the word, all the while telling themselves they have repented of their sins, accepted Christ as their Savior, and they have been baptized, and they are “rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing.”

Here is just a little bit of what it means to leave and to go beyond the first principles of the doctrine of Christ:

Rev 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

These words are addressed to the angle of the church of the Laodiceans. It is not being addressed to a new convert, but to a “Son who is loved by His Father.”

Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
Heb 12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.

The holy spirit is showing us that there is a connection between “not striving against sin” and “the chastening of the Lord.” When we are not diligent, sober and vigilant against sin and false doctrines in our lives, God chastens and scourges “every son He receives.” There are no exceptions whatsoever. This is going beyond the “first principles of the oracles of God, [and is] going on unto perfection.” This is the very function of grace which is completely hidden from and foreign to all of orthodox Christian doctrine. The Greek word translated ‘chasten’ here is ‘paideuo‘, and ‘chasten’ is a right and proper translation of this Greek word. Let’s see how this word is mistranslated elsewhere in the New Testament in a way that has served to keep hidden what is the very function of grace in the life of the believer and the overcomer:

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

The word ‘teaching’ here in Titus 2:12 is the same Greek word translated ‘chasten’ in Hebrews 6:12. So grace is seen to be much more than a mere noun, which gives a name to God’s favor and mercy upon us. It is now also ubderstood to be a very active verb, which chastens us to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly, righteously and godly lives in this present world.”

Both Titus 2:11-12 and Hebrews 12:4-8 describe those who are “going on unto perfection, who do not use the word of righteousness unskillfully” but are able to receive and to digest the strong meat of God’s Word because they have “by reason of use had their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Heb 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

I recently heard a minister with a national audience denying every word of this. He actually read Hebrews 6:12 and was explaining that “God is not an abusive Father.” This man was contending that the word chastening here should be translated as “child train.” I personally know of no modern day books on child training which speak of chastening and scourging. However, that is what God does to “every son whom He receives.” God is obviously not intimidated by the Department of Family and Children Services. I am not encouraging anyone to scourge their children, but I do believe what God’s word says about how He deals with “every son He receives.”

Grace chastens us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, and the Father chastens and scourges every son He receives. Here now, is some more of what is promised to those who have ears to hear what the spirit says to these seven angels of these seven churches within us; to those to whom it is given to overcome all the faults enumerated in all the churches which we have covered thus far:

Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

What does this verse tell us? One thing is certain, this verse does not deny nor contradict the fact that:

Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

I was shocked to discover that The Truth of this 13th verse follows the very verse I had erroneously quoted to support the false doctrine of “free moral agency”. Look at what precedes Philippian 2:13:

Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

The Lord has miraculously blinded the eyes of the vast majority of mankind, Christians included, to the Truths which are hidden in plain sight right here in His Word.

In our studies on the law of the offerings, we saw Christ presented to us as the Father wants us to see Christ. One of those offering shows us how Christ stands at the door knocking and wanting to come in and sup with us.

There are five different categories of offerings used to show us who the Christ is. The first three of those offerings are called “sweet smelling savor” offerings. Sin and trespass are not so much as mentioned in any of the “sweet smelling savor offerings.” The first is called “the burnt offering” and it is all burnt upon the altar as “an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.”

Lev 1:11 And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar.
Lev 1:12 And he shall cut it into his pieces, with his head and his fat: and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar:
Lev 1:13 But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.

The burnt offering was wholly consumed by the fire of God, and was not shared or partaken of by either the priest or the offerer. It was all God’s portion and it is called a sweet savor, and there is not so much as the mention of sin in any of the three sweet savor offerings.

The second offering is the meal offering; called a ‘meat offering’ in the King James Version. This offering was never, ever to be given without first offering a burnt offering. That is what the story of Cain and Abel teaches us. Grain comes out of the ground, which means that grain symbolizes what we as “the dust of the ground” produce for God and for our fellow man. If we fail to recognize that our efforts to serve Christ and His body are not of ourselves, but are of Him, then we have offered a meal offering without first acknowledging the need for a blood offering; that blood being the blood of Jesus Christ upon whose offering we all present our own offerings. We are dead and risen in Him, and by Him we now walk “in newness of life.” We must never think that our own works can save us without the shedding of the blood of Christ to wash away our sins.

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of [our] works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Rom 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Just as the burnt offering was all to be burnt upon the altar in submission to God, with none of it going to the offerer, so, too, with the meal offering the offerer was not permitted to partake of the meal offering. The priest does receive his portion of this offering.

Lev 2:2 And he [the offerer] shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD:
Lev 2:3 And the remnant of the meat offering shall be Aaron’s and his sons’: it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the LORD made by fire.

So the meal offering is consumed by God and His priest, and once again, the offerer is excluded from partaking of and being nourished by the offering he has brought to God as an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.

Now we come to the the third offering. This is the peace offering, and it is in this offering that we sup with both the Father and His priest, our Savior and our Lord. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
This is the one offering in which The Father and His priest Son, our Lord and the Son’s son, all partake of and are nourished by the offering of the Christ, and the offering of “His body which is the church.”

Joh 20:21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

Col 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

1Jn 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

“I stand at the door and knock” in no way denies God’s sovereignty. “If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with Me” in no way whatever contradicts the truth of this verse:

Psa 139:16 Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them.

We were called in Christ “before the world began,” and while the scriptures also say things like “choose you this day…” and “if any man hear my voice and open the door..,” these verses in no way deny that God “know what the morrow brings” and that He knew it all “before the world began.”

1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

What an honor! Those who are known of God “before the world began” will sit with Him in His throne, just as Christ has overcome His sinful fleshly desires and is set down with His Father in His throne.

What is the advantage of being an overcomer? I was just recently chastised as being vain and self-centered for even wanting to be an overcomer and wanting to sit with Christ in His throne. If such foolishness were so, it would certainly make God a fool for making all these promises and for openly exhorting us to strive to overcome the flesh for these very reasons.

Should we aspire to do that which we know to be predestined and “written in thy book” already? What do the scriptures say?

Tit 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.

“Be careful to maintain good works.” These things are good and profitable. Affirm this constantly!” Was Paul self-centered and vain? Or was he simply obedient?

Again we are told:

Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

So both “the high calling” and the “pressing toward that mark” are “of God.” There will be no vanity or self-centeredness in any who attain that prize, and any and all accusations to the contrary will not change that Truth. It is rather, to be expected.

Mat 13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
Mat 13:46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Both the desire and the doing are all of God, and He is working both within us. Nevertheless we need to expect to be falsely accused and denigrated for His name’s sake:

Mat 5:11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Luk 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Luk 6:27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

So we conclude what the spirit says to the angels of the seven churches of Asia; to”you which hear” and to those who “read and hear and keep the things written therein.”

Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Conclusion

This is what Christ tells us is within the kingdom of God which is within all who are His. The faults and problems within us, as revealed by the messages to these seven angels of these seven churches, are the same admonitions concerning the kingdom of God within us as revealed to us through the parables of Christ in the gospels. From the parable of the good Samaritan, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the parable of the sower, the parable of the prodigal son to the parable of the murderous husbandman of their masters vineyard; all of Christ’s parables had to do with “the mysteries of  the kingdom of God”, and we are plainly told that kingdom is within us:

Mat 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

That is what all of Christ’s parables concern, and that is their purpose; to keep those mysteries a secret. It is miraculous their effectiveness in accomplishing that purpose to this very day.

Those parables which all concern “the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” are full of the descriptions of the murderous sins of those who are to become the heirs of that kingdom. What this reveals is that the heirs of the kingdom of God were once the children of wrath and the children of disobedience, just as men like king David and Saul of Tarsus both demonstrate for us. We are all the tares in God’s field before we have those tares gathered out, tied in bundles and burned out of His kingdom which is within us.

That is the message of all the messages of the seven angels of the seven churches of Asia concerning the purging of the tares out of the kingdom of God within us. Now we are prepared to begin to see the symbols of the heavenly things themselves, and now that we know where that kingdom is, we can begin to see that those symbols and proverbs are no longer speaking to us in proverbs but are showing us plainly the mind of our heavenly Father, because we are now being given an “open heaven”, which means that our understanding is about to be opened up exponentially.

Joh 16:25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

When the time comes that “a door is opened in heaven,” it is the same time as “the time comes when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs but show you plainly of the Father.”

Joh 16:25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

Here now are the verses which, Lord willing, we will discuss next week:

Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door [was] opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard [was] as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Rev 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and [one] sat on the throne.
Rev 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and [there was] a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Rev 4:4 And round about the throne [were] four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
Rev 4:5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and [there were] seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.