The Book of Revelation is a mystery for many. Yet, the word revelation means "revealing, making known something previously unknown." Are you intimidated by it, finding it impossible to understand, preferring rather to put it on that proverbial shelf? If so, today's Tomorrow's World program is for you.
Many are familiar with the four horsemen of Revelation, the book often referred to as the apocalypse, but what about the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia, as recorded in chapters 2 and 3? These letters have puzzled scholars and lay members alike for more than 1900 years. Do these letters have some special meaning for you and me? The answer is, yes, and that is the subject of today's program. In addition, I'll be offering you our free resource, God's Church Through the Ages.
This easy to understand booklet gives more details than I have time to cover on this program, so be sure to have writing material available to take down the contact information. Now stay with me, as I'll be back in five seconds to explain the seven letters to the seven churches of Revelation.
♪ A warm welcome to all of you from those of us here at Tomorrow's World, where we bring you the good news that Jesus proclaimed of the Kingdom of God, explain the prophecies of the Bible, and make sense of the world in which we live. On today's program, we'll open the biblical book of Revelation, and discover the significance of the seven messages given to seven churches. The first verse of this book gives us answers to five vital questions: Who can open our understanding of the book?
What is the source of its message? Who is the intended audience? When do its prophecies begin? and, Who is to take the message to its intended audience?
So, let's begin by reading Revelation 1, and verse 1, where we read the answers to our five questions: The Revelation of Jesus Christ [that tells us that He is the One who reveals the message], which God gave Him [God the Father is the Originator of the message] to show His servants [so the message is not primarily to the world, but to the servants of God]--things which must shortly take place [in other words the events prophesied would soon begin].
And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John [the Apostle John is to take the message to God's servants]. We see from these opening verses that Jesus Christ is the One who unveils the message, that the message comes from God the Father, that the message is intended for God's servants, and that John is given the responsibility to carry the message to those servants. But, as rich as this opening verse is, it does not reveal the theme of the book.
For that, we must turn to verse 10, where John writes: I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet. What is the meaning of being "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day"? Almost all translators and commentaries erroneously promote the idea that, "in the Spirit on the Lord's Day," means that John was worshiping on Sunday; but there's a huge problem with this. To claim the expression, Lord's day, means Sunday, is flawed on multiple fronts.
If we're talking about a day of the week, which it's not, it could never be Sunday. If the Bible is our source, we find that not once does it identify Sunday, the first day of the week, as belonging to the Lord. On the contrary, it tells us three times that Jesus is "Lord of the Sabbath."
Matthew 12:8-- For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Mark 2:28-- Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. And Luke 6:5-- The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. So, according to the Bible, if the Lord's day is a day of the week, it is not the first day of the week--it's not Sunday; but the seventh day--Saturday. However, the statement, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day," has absolutely nothing to do with any day of the week.
The book shows that John was projected forward in vision to the day of the Lord, a time referred to more than 30 times in the scriptures, in both the Old and the New Testaments. The first six chapters of Revelation set the stage for the theme. In chapter 4, John sees a vision of God, the Originator of Revelation, on His heavenly throne. Chapter 5 describes Revelation written on a scroll that is locked with seven seals.
It also explains in this chapter that the Lamb of God, that is Jesus Christ, is the only one capable of opening these seals. We then read in the 6th chapter how He opens six of the seven seals. The first four seals are the famous four horsemen. The fifth seal pictures a martyrdom of some of God's servants. Then comes the sixth seal-- the terrifying heavenly signs: And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?" These six seals, all opened within a short chapter, are preludes to the theme of Revelation, the day of God's wrath on rebellious mankind. This wrath is explained by the seventh seal, which is made up of seven trumpet plagues. So we see in chapters 4 and 5, the Originator of Revelation, the One who can open the scroll to our understanding, and the opening of six seals that
bring us to the theme of the book. But what about the servants of God? Who are they? Our resource--God's Church Through the Ages-- fills in details that cannot be given on this program due to time constraints. Frankly, my friends, Satan the devil has deceived mankind, as we're told in Revelation 12:9. And part of that deception is unveiled by understanding the messages to the seven churches of Revelation.
This resource--God's Church Through the Ages-- reveals the true history of the Christian Church. And it will be sent to you free for the asking, as all our long-time viewers know. I sincerely hope you will take us up on this offer as it can change your life. So, pick up the phone or go to our website, TWTV.org/Church and order your free copy of God's Church Through the Ages. You'll be glad you did.
And when I come back after this short break, I'll show you who the servants of God are, according to the book of Revelation. For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine.
Six inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective. Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now! Or go to... ♪ Welcome back. On today's Tomorrow's World program, we're exploring the significance of the letters to seven churches found in the mysterious Book of Revelation.
These letters have puzzled theologians for centuries, yet there are keys that unlock the mystery. As we learned from the prologue, it is Jesus Christ who unveils the message, the message originates with God the Father, and it's intended for the servants of God, and John is given the responsibility to carry the message to those servants. In this portion of the program, I'll show that those servants are defined by the seven churches as described in chapters two and three.
William Ramsay wrote a highly respected book titled, The Letters to the Seven Churches. There's a lot of excellent information in it, but Professor Ramsay missed the key element. Instead of realizing that the seven churches define that intended audience, and are an integral element for the entire book, he sees the letters as an afterthought.
As he writes on page 35: In this work, Jewish in origin and general plan, there is inserted this episode of the Seven Letters, which appears to be almost entirely non-Jewish in character. The reason was that the form of letters had already established itself as the most characteristic expression of the Christian mind, and as almost obligatory on a Christian writer.
Ramsay goes on to speculate as to the reason for inserting these letters, suggesting that they were an afterthought, rather than critical to understanding the book. In the subsequent development of St. John's thought it is plain that he had recognized the inadequacy and insufficiency of the fashionable Jewish literary forms.
It seems highly probable that the perception of that fact came to him during the composition of the Revelation, and that the Seven Letters, though placed near the beginning and fitted carefully into that position, were the last part of the work to be conceived. He then makes this incredible statement on page 37: The Apocalypse [that is, the book of Revelation] would be quite complete without the Seven Letters.
In other words, Ramsay speculates that the letters were an afterthought, that John realized that the composition of Revelation lacked the most common means of transmitting information in the New Testament-- that is by written letters. But were these letters an afterthought as Ramsay speculates? Is the book, as he wrote: quite complete without the Seven Letters? John is told to take the revealed message to the servants of God. So, where are these servants to be found?
Even if scholars don't understand, you can. Does that sound too arrogant? Or is that not what Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:25... At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. Here are four keys that reveal the mystery of the seven letters. Key #1: The servants of God and the Seven Churches are the same.
Notice once again John's commission found in chapter one and in verse 1: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants [that is the audience]--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John. Yes, the message is to go to the servants of God. So where does John go? The answer is found in verse 4: John, to the seven churches which are in Asia.
So, even before we know which churches these are, John immediately addresses them. Furthermore, John is commanded to record in a book what he sees, and send it to these seven churches--that is, the whole message of Revelation, not the letters only. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last," and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
In other words, the message is to go to the servants of God, and John is to take it to the seven churches in Asia. Is it not obvious that the servants of God and the seven churches are the same? This is confirmed in the last chapter of Revelation. In a sense, the connection between the servants of God and the Seven Churches is bookended by the first and last chapters. Notice Revelation 22, and verses 6 and 16: Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and
true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.... [And then in verse 16] I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. So, key #1 is: The servants of God and the Seven Churches are the same. Servants and churches are used interchangeably-- they're synonymous-- but note that not all Christian congregations in Asia are mentioned.
Nowhere does the book introduce any other congregation than these seven. Obviously, there's something special or significant about them. So we must wonder: Why these churches? Why only seven if they are the servants of God? Does that mean that none of the other congregations of the first century were God's servants? What about today? Are we somehow left on the outside of being God's servants? Not at all. Key #2: There is a special relationship between these seven and Jesus Christ.
We now come to a remarkable vision. Following a trumpet sound and the listing of the seven churches, we read, beginning in verse 12: Then I [that is John] turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band.
He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. What does this vision mean? We can be thankful that we don't have to speculate, because verse 20 explains it: The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels [or messengers] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.
As we have seen, the churches and the servants of God are synonymous, and Christ is seen walking amongst them. Mysterious? Yes. Impossible to comprehend? No. In a moment I'll show you how you can understand what theologians and lay members for the last 1900 years failed to recognize. But first I want to remind you of our free, insightful resource, God's Church Through the Ages.
It goes into far more detail than I have time to cover on this short program and it unravels a mystery that even a child can understand once the keys are pointed out. So order your free copy of God's Church Through the Ages. It can change your life. Just call or go to our website: TWTV.org/Church. And when I come back after this 15 second break, I'll show you why theologians do not understand this mystery, but how you can.
This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible. Call now! Or go to... ♪ On today's Tomorrow's World program, we're exploring the meaning of the letters to the seven churches found in the mysterious Book of Revelation. These churches have puzzled theologians for centuries, yet there are keys that unlock the mystery. In the previous portion of this program, we saw two vital keys to understand these prophecies.
Key #1 was: The servants of God and the Seven Churches are the same. And it's evident from the vision of the glorified Christ walking in the midst of seven lampstands that represent the churches, that Key #2 is: There is a special relationship between these seven and Jesus Christ. There's a third key that should be obvious by now, something that William Ramsay, who speculated that the letters to these churches were an afterthought, clearly missed.
So Key #3: The entire book of Revelation is addressed to the seven churches. John is instructed to take the message of the book to the servants of God. As we've seen, the servants and the churches are the same. It therefore follows, that the whole book of Revelation is for the seven churches. And this is confirmed, as we saw earlier, in the last chapter of Revelation. For review, I'll repeat that: Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and
true." And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. There's a fourth important key, but before I give that, let's notice two easy to understand lessons that are generally understood about these letters.
The first one is that these were real church congregations and the messages to each of those congregations described conditions that existed at that time. So, when Ephesus is told that it had lost its first love, that was a problem in that first century congregation located in Ephesus. The second takeaway is understood from this refrain that is given to each of them: He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
The admonition is not to that church alone, but to the churches, plural. A condition that exists in one congregation could also affect congregants in any of the others. The difference being that the condition mentioned, dominated that church. In the example of the church in Laodicea, a lukewarm spirit prevailed, but the admonition to "hear what the Spirit says to the churches," indicates that this same lukewarm attitude could be found among some of the other congregations.
This is mostly how ministers down through the centuries have understood these letters. As a teenager, I remember a chaplain giving a seven-part series of sermons on this subject. But, our 4th key is something that has not been generally understood and is perhaps the most important of all the keys. Let's go back to the last part of verse 1 and all of verse 2, where John is given three sources of information that he was to record.
And He [that is God] sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who [#1] bore witness to the word of God, [and notice especially #2] to the testimony of Jesus Christ, [and #3] to all things that he saw. We've already seen that John was commanded to do number 3--write in a book what he saw and send it to the Seven Churches. But he was also to record the word of God, references to the Old Testament scriptures, and the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The testimony of Jesus Christ, is of course, what Jesus spoke, but what He spoke in Revelation is prophetic in nature. We read in chapter 19 and verse 10: Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. If you have a red-letter Bible, the red letters are what the translators believe were the direct words of Jesus. And where do you find the overwhelming majority of Christ's words in Revelation? If you guessed the letters to the seven churches, you guessed correctly.
In other words, these letters have prophetic significance. And it's evident from studying the book that the subject matter began in John's day and yet ends in our future. So, in addition to recording conditions in the very real first century congregations, and warnings of attitudes that can apply to anyone, Key #4 is: The letters to the seven churches are prophetic. Why is this important to understand?
I'll give you the answer to that question in a moment, but I want to remind you of today's free resource God's Church Through the Ages. Jesus said He would build His Church, and the letters to the seven churches give insight into that Church in ways found nowhere else. Doesn't it make sense to ask these serious questions: Where has God's Church been down through the ages? Why is Christianity so radically different today from the Church in Jesus' day?
Is it possible due to your upbringing that you've overlooked where God is working? God's Church Through the Ages is an eye-opener. It answers these important questions and shows how mainstream Christianity would not even be recognized by Christ as His own.
God's Church Through the Ages also explains, in greater detail than I have time on this short program, how the seven churches of Revelation portray seven stages that the true church of God would go through from the first century all the way to the return of Jesus Christ. So be sure to order your free copy today. For today's free offer call... Or go to... This clear and straight-forward resource will help you understand this vital truth-- straight from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time, you will also receive a free annual subscription to Tomorrow's World magazine. Six inspiring issues discussing news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense of your world from a biblical perspective. Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. Call now! Or go to... ♪ Welcome back.
Our resource--God's Church Through the Ages-- describes seven stages through which the true church of God would progress from the first century until the return of Christ. As the author of this resource, the late John Ogwyn, explains: When we look at the context of the book of Revelation, we must recognize that it is primarily intended as a prophecy. Revelation 1:1 shows that the book's purpose is to show to God's servants things that would soon begin to happen.
Thus the seven churches should primarily be understood as representing the entire history of God's Church in seven successive eras. Why is this not generally understood? It's not that others have not tried to trace the history of the Church through seven distinct stages, but they fail in these efforts. Why? The answer is simple. They try to shoehorn mainstream Christianity into these scriptures, and mainstream Christianity simply does not fit.
Put another way, they're looking for the answer in the wrong place. Our resource--God's Church Through the Ages-- traces the history of the true church of God from the first century to the time of Christ's second coming. That means that the true church of God is now living during the final era-- the Laodicean era-- which is portrayed as being blind to how lukewarm and self-satisfied it is. And as a result, it will be thrown into the Great Tribulation. Yet, there is hope.
There is a remnant of the previous era and those in it will be afforded protection from the greatest trouble in mankind's history. So if you'd like to learn more, order your free copy of God's Church Through the Ages. And be sure to come back next week when Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, Rod McNair, and I will bring you more good news of the Kingdom of God and the prophecies of the Bible. See you next week. ♪ For today's free offer call... Or go to...
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning to Tomorrow's World for truth, prophecy, and hope in these confusing times. ♪ The preceding program is produced by the Living Church of God. Do you have the feeling our world is going in the wrong direction? Where can you turn to make sense of a world that is spinning out of control? Join over 500,000 loyal readers and enjoy peace of mind knowing what's ahead. In times like these we need real answers. Clarity not confusion.
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