What Will Those Who Will “Suffer Loss” Lose If All Men Will Be Saved? – Part 1

[This two-part article is in response to the title question a reader asked.]

[Study Aired February 3, 2020]

Hi S____,

Thank you for asking:

“If “the potter has mercy (Rom 9:18) and gives Hymeneus and Alexander a spirit of repentance, they may return to God as David did. If ‘the potter hardeneth’ (Rom 9:18), they will die in their sins as Esau and Pharaoh and King Saul and Ahab did. They will be resurrected at the great white throne judgment. ‘Their works will be burned and they will suffer loss, [what will they, (possibly I) lose?] BUT THEY THEMSELVES SHALL BE SAVED, YET THOUGH AS BY THE LAKE OF FIRE’ (1Co 3:15)”. (End Quote… The emphasis is his.)

Here are the verses you reference:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 

Since it is true that:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

What can possibly be ‘lost’ then if everyone is given life? The Christian world as a whole teaches that, “If you die in your sins, then you are forever lost,” which essentially denies there is any “loss” of anything which is not common to all who do not accept Christ in this life. To the Christian world, the only “loss” is the salvation which they teach is offered only in this life. That doctrine flies in the face of this scriptural doctrine promulgated and taught by the apostle Paul:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
1Co 15:27  For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
1Co 15:28  And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. 

For God to “destroy… death” and “be all in all” necessitates that there must also be a ‘fruit’ which is not the firstfruits. The very use of the moniker ‘firstfruits’ necessitates that there is also a later ‘fruit’ which is not the ‘firstfruits’.

Christ was the first of “the firstfruits”. He was not the ‘only fruit’! All in Adam “Shall… be made alive… but each in his own order. Christ [was made alive as the first of] the firstfruits, afterward [meaning after Christ as the first of the firstfruits] they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end [harvest]…” 

“The end” does not mean the end of God’s efforts to make “all in Adam… alive… in Christ”. Most Christians agree that God desires to see “all men… repent and come to a knowledge of the truth”, as the apostle Paul clearly states “will” indeed happen:

1Ti 2:4  Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 

However, almost the entire Christian world twists that very clear statement to make it read:

1Ti 2:4  Who would have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (ASV)

Just look at how a few other versions twist this verse of scripture to make it fit their own false doctrines:

1Ti 2:4  since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (NET)

1Ti 2:4  He wants all people to be saved and to learn the truth. (GWV)

1Ti 2:4  Whose desire is that all men may have salvation and come to the knowledge of what is true. (BBE)

There is a world of difference between telling us what He wistfully “would have… wants, [or] desires” as opposed to what He “will have all men to” do.

What God has blinded all these translators from seeing is:

Job 23:13  But he [the Lord] is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth.

That being the case, the scriptures teach that even if you twist 1Timothy 2:4 to say “would have… wants… [or] desires”, the Truth still remains that what Christ “would have… wants… [or] desires, even that He does“! (Job 23:13), and according to 1Corinthians 15:22-28 what He is in the process of doing is saving all who are in Adam “each in His own order”.

So, what advantage is there to having works of “gold, silver, and precious stones” if, in the end, “all in Adam shall be made alive”, even those whose works are “wood, hay, and stubble”? Why bother to have works of ‘gold, silver and precious stones’ if those whose works are the much less valuable works of ‘wood, hay, and stubble’ are still “saved, yet though as by fire”? What is lost if you are not in that firstfruits group of whom we are told:

Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 

Here now is what gold, silver and precious stones typify:

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

You ask, “Their works will be burned and they will suffer loss, [what will they, (possibly I) lose?]?” 

The answer is, instead of being raised from the dead at the beginning of the thousand-year reign of Christ to hear these very comforting words, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” this is what those whose works are ‘wood, hay and stubble’ will hear when they are called forth from the grave:

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Mat 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. 

What will those who are sent away into age-lasting punishment be losing out on by not being in what the scriptures refer to as “the blessed and holy first resurrection”? As we just read, one of the things they will lose is that they will not be rulers with Christ in His kingdom for a thousand years. 

Look at how important the scriptures make ruling with Christ during that thousand years to be:

Rev 20:1  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Rev 20:3  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
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 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.

“The rest of the dead” is the vast majority of mankind from Adam until the great white throne judgment. The chosen few are in the “blessed and holy… first resurrection [who] “reign with [Christ] a thousand years”.

Hearing the words, “Depart from me ye workers of iniquity into age-lasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” is so great a loss that we cannot fully comprehend the extent of the blessing of what would have been “Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”. 

Let’s contrast the promises given to the ‘overcomer’ with the curses promised to those who are not given to be overcomers in “this present time” (Rom 8:18). Those contrasts are made in the admonitions given to the seven churches of Revelation 2-3:

Ephesus:

The church at Ephesus is admonished that those who say they are apostles, sent from Christ and are not will have their “candlestick removed… except [they] repent”:

Rev 2:2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: 
Rev 2:3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 

What will the church at Ephesus lose if they do not repent and overcome”?:

Rev 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Those who do not overcome in “this present time” are not given to eat of the tree of life and are not given to be in “the paradise of God”, because they were not given to eat Christ’s flesh and drink His blood in this present time:

Joh 6:53  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
Joh 6:54  Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 

That is the meaning of “eat of the Tree of Life” because Christ tells us unequivocally that He is life:

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

“No man comes to the Father, but by me” means that Christ is the tree of life, which is placed right in the middle of the Lord’s garden and is rejected in favor of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Those who “suffer loss” will not eat Christ’s flesh nor drink His blood, because they will not know Christ in “this present time”, and they will not know Christ until after they have endured the age-lasting fire of “the lake of fire [which] is the second death”:

Rev 20:14  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 
Rev 20:15  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 

Those who are cast into the lake of fire will suffer the loss of ruling with Christ during the thousand years, and they will suffer the punishment of the second death, which is the lake of fire, as we will see.

What else will those in the second death lose?

Smyrna:

Rev 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;
Rev 2:9  I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.
Rev 2:10  Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. 

Those whose works are wood, hay, and stubble do not overcome sin in their lives in “this present time” and will lose out on being given “a crown of life” which qualifies us to become “kings and priests… [to] reign with Christ… for a thousand years” (Rev 20:4-6).

What difference do our works make if “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive”? 

Let’s continue to “hear what the spirit says to the churches”:

Pergamos:

Rev 2:12  And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;
Rev 2:13  I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan’s seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.
Rev 2:14  But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Rev 2:15  So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
Rev 2:16  Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. 

Those whose works are wood, hay, and stubble will not be given to eat of the hidden manna, will not be given a white stone and will not be given a new name until after the lake of fire, “which is the second death”. Considering the admonition of the spirit to the church in Pergamos, it is absolutely possible to ‘hold fast [Christ’s] name, and… not deny His faith’ and at the same time “have… them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication… [and] have… also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans”, whose very name means ‘to lord it over the laity’. Those are just a few of the doctrines and works of wood, hay, and stubble, which will, in time, be burned up. If those works are burned up in “this present time” (Rom 8:18), then our works become works of gold, silver, and precious stones in “this present time”. If the wood, hay, and stubble are not burned out of us in this age, then we, too, will be cast into the lake of fire, and we will be hurt of the second death which is the lake of fire.

Again, we all just naturally ask, “If all in Adam will be made alive, what difference does it make whether we overcome in this life?” I had two men approach me at a Bible conference in Alabama, and ask me, “Why do you make such a big deal about wanting to be in the first resurrection?” Then again, just this past year a lady who had been in our fellowship for years told me, “I don’t care whether I am in the first or the second resurrection. I do not believe it matters.”

So, thank you for this question because it gives me the opportunity to share with our readers what exactly it means to say “…he shall suffer loss, but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire”:

1Co 3:13  Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

This last above verse is just a repetition of what Paul says in:

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 

However, notice carefully what is in the very next verses of this 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians:

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
1Co 15:25  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
1Co 15:26  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 

“Every man in His own order” means there is an order in which God is saving “all in Adam”. “Firstfruits” means there is an order in which God “will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of The Truth.” Anyone who denies there is an order in which God is saving all men is living under “strong delusion” which God Himself has sent to “deceive that prophet”:

Eze 14:9  And if the prophet be deceived when he hath spoken a thing, I the LORD have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.
Eze 14:10  And they shall bear the punishment of their iniquity: the punishment of the prophet shall be even as the punishment of him that seeketh unto him; 

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 

“That they might be damned” to what? Here is Christ’s own answer to that question:

Mar 16:16  He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. 

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 they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation^G2920 [Greek: krisis, judgment]

The punishment of the prophet, the damnation of those who are deceived, and the loss suffered by those whose works are still lying false doctrines which are nothing more than spiritual ‘wood, hay, and stubble’, are all one and the same punishment and loss.

The admonitions of the spirit to the church at Thyatira let us know a little more about what is lost by those whose works and doctrines are mere worthless wood, hay, and stubble:

Thyatira:

Rev 2:24  But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden.
Rev 2:25  But that which ye have already hold fast till I come.
Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Like Pergamos, Thyatira has many good qualities, which the spirit acknowledges, and like Pergamos, the spirit admonishes the church at Thyatira to repent of allowing Jezebel to teach and seduce the church to commit spiritual fornication. The spirit incentivizes us to overcome our sins by promising us… “he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star.” 

“The morning star”, like “the tree of life”, is just another name for Christ:

Rev 22:16  I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. 

To miss out on the potential of ruling the nations with Christ for a thousand years, and then being Christ’s channel for showing His mercy to all men of all time, is to miss out on being given the mind of Christ… the bright and morning star”. To miss out on all of that is indeed great “loss”, and yet, through the second death, through the death to the carnal mind which the lake of fire accomplishes, “he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire [the lake of fire].

What else is lost by having works of wood, hay and stubble?

Sardis:

Rev 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.
Rev 3:2  Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.
Rev 3:3  Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Rev 3:4  Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
Rev 3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 3:6  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

Sardis is a dead church. Yet the spirit admonishes those in the church at Sardis to repent of their works of wood, hay, and stubble, and become vigilant and watch closely what kind of works they are producing and remember how they heard (vs 3). If they do so, they are promised to be given to walk with Christ in white raiment, and the Lord will not blot their names out of the book of life. 

It is the worst possible curse to be deprived of walking with Christ in this present time and having one’s name blotted out of the book of life and to miss out on having a part in the “blessed and holy first resurrection” (Rev 20:4-6).

What else will those whose works are wood, hay, and stubble lose?

Philadelphia:

Rev 3:7  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
Rev 3:8  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Rev 3:10  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev 3:13  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. 

Christ tells us that no man can come to God, but by Him.

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

He also tells us that He is “the Door”:

Joh 10:7  Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Joh 10:8  All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
Joh 10:9  I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. 

“By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved.” So, the “door to the sheep” is also the door into the kingdom of heaven, and the ‘key’ to that door is the ‘key’ to being saved, “By me… he shall be saved.”

Being given “an open door [which] no man can shut” is the exact opposite of being given a shut door which “no man [can] open”. The salvation of all in no way diminishes the value of all of these “great and precious promises”. What we are being told is that our calling and our salvation is a work of Christ in us, and whenever we are given an open door into His kingdom is for Him to decide. He has every right to pay us for our work when He chooses to do so. The “key of David” is the keys to the kingdom of heaven”, and the Lord passes out that key to whomsoever He wills whenever He chooses to do so. “All in Adam” will be saved, but the Lord’s order of saving all men is revealed to be “the first shall be last and the last shall be first”, which is the conclusion of the parable of the workers in the Lord’s vineyard:

Mat 20:1  For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
Mat 20:2  And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
Mat 20:3  And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
Mat 20:4  And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Mat 20:5  Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
Mat 20:6  And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
Mat 20:7  They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.
Mat 20:8  So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
Mat 20:9  And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
Mat 20:10  But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
Mat 20:11  And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
Mat 20:12  Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
Mat 20:13  But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
Mat 20:14  Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
Mat 20:15  Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
Mat 20:16  So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. 

Those who are paid first are given an open door first. They work fewer hours and receive the same wage as those who worked all day long. Losing out on a day’s wages for one hour of work is a great loss, and that loss is suffered by those whose works and doctrines are nothing more than “wood, hay, and stubble”. The great and precious promises are given only to ‘the last [who are made to be] first”.

The church at Philadelphia is given an open door into the kingdom of God. Those who claim to be Christians but are just the synagogue of Satan are made to come and worship at the feet of the overcomers in Philadelphia. Those of the synagogue of Satan are those whose suffer the loss of their works, which are nothing more than combustible wood, hay, and stubble. 

Because these overcomers in the church of Philadelphia have already endured the fiery trials of ‘keeping the word of Christ’s patience’, he will now keep them from “the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world.” This is the same as telling the overcomers of Smyrna that they will not be hurt of the second death if they “die daily [and are] crucified with Christ… [if they] overcome [in] this present time” (Rom 8:18).

The overcomers of Philadelphia are also given a crown, of which they are admonished:  let “no man take thy crown”. The overcomers of Philadelphia are promised to be made “a pillar in [the Lord’s] temple”. The Lord promises to write His name upon them and the name of the city of our Lord’s God, which name is ‘New Jerusalem’, which is also Christ’s new name. All these promises will be lost if our works are works of wood, hay, and stubble.

There is yet one more church which will serve to let us know what we will lose if our works of wood, hay, and stubble are not burned up in this present time. We will cover that church in Part 2 of this study.