Author: John (1:1), probably the apostle.
Date: Approximately AD 95.
In Ten Words or Less: God will judge evil and reward His saints.
Details: Jesus Christ Himself arranges for John to receive a “revelation” of “things which must shortly come to pass” (1:1). First, in Chapters 2–3, Jesus gives John words of challenge and/or encouragement for seven churches—the good, the bad, and the in-between. Then the vision turns to the actual throne room of God, where a Lamb, looking “as it had been slain” (5:6), breaks seven seals from a scroll, unleashing war, famine, and other disasters on the earth. A dragon and two beasts, allied against God, arise to demand the worship of earth’s people who have not been killed in the earlier catastrophes. The satanic forces and the people who follow them incur seven “vials of the wrath of God” (16:1), which bring plagues, darkness, and huge hailstones on earth. The upheaval destroys “Babylon the great,” the evil and arrogant world system, just before an angel from heaven seizes Satan, “that old serpent” (20:2), and imprisons him for one thousand years. After a brief release to instigate a worldwide war, Satan is thrown into “the lake of fire and brimstone,” where he will be “tormented day and night for ever and ever” (20:10). God unveils “a new heaven and a new earth” (21:1), where He will “wipe away all tears” (21:4) from His people’s eyes.
From Know Your Bible, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.
Into the Throne Room
We come to the third section of the book of the Revelation of Christ. Chapter four begins to layout how the Kingdom of Christ will come to our World. But before we get into subjects like the anti-Christ and mystery Babylon, John sees the hand that is controlling everything. Join us as we see not just the throne, but also the one who is sitting on the throne.
The Problem with Lukewarm Christianity
We come to the seventh and final church of Revelation. The Laodicean Church is the only church that Christ had nothing good to say about. The problem was the absence of passion for Christ. This Church provides a wakeup call for us in the church today. We need to ask ourselves was there ever a time where we were more passionate about the things of Christ than we are today? If the answer is yes, then we are headed into troubled waters. Please join us today as Christ gives us wise counsel to conquer lukewarmness.
Where Do Opportunities Come From?
Making our way through the book of the Revelation of Christ, we come to the church in the city of Philadelphia. This church was given opportunities that no one was going to be able to take away from them. Join us as we learn the reasons why God gives to some churches marvelous opportunities to be used of Him.
Church of the Living Dead
We pick up our study in Revelation looking at the church in Sardis. This was a church that Christ said was spiritually dead. What we will learn is that this church didn’t follow the pattern that we think of when we think of a dead church. Join us as we look at both the cause and the cure of spiritual death in a church.
A Church in Deep Compromise
Arriving at the fourth of these seven letters, we see a church that was in deep compromise. This congregation was tolerating a leader who was instructing people to do the very opposite of what the Scriptures taught. Join us as we see Christ come on the scene to be the judge of His Church.
When a Church Forgets the Power of the Word of God
Continuing to make our way through the book of the Revelation, we come to the third of seven churches. The Church of Pergamos had similar challenges as the Church in America today. And chief among those challenges, was loosing confidence in the power of the Word of God. Join as we see what takes place when the people of God no longer are impacted by the Word of God.
The Church of Smyrna
Coming to the second of the seven churches, we’re coming to one of the two churches that Christ has nothing to say to them by way of criticism. Even though they were experiencing deep poverty, Christ tells them that they are rich. Christ asked of them what He asks of us today. Join us as we read what the Lord had to say to a hurting Church.
Leaving Your First Love
Heading into the second section of the Book of the Revelation, we come to the first of seven churches. The church at Ephesus was doing so many things right. However, they had one flaw that was so serious, it was negating all the positives. Join us as we learn what is of primary importance to Christ.
Who is Christ?
Within the religious landscape of the world there are many ideas on who Christ is. As we come to the end of chapter one of the Book of the Revelation, John gives us a fascinating description of Christ. Here we discover the Christ is no longer the baby Jesus or the humble son of a carpenter, but He now is something far greater. Join us as we discover who is Christ.
Why Do the Righteous Suffer?
Continuing our verse-by-verse study of the Book of the Revelation of Christ, we now come up against a question that all believers have struggled with and will struggle with, which is why do bad things happen to good people? Join us as John tells us what the purpose of difficulty is and how God used difficulty in his life.