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So, you see,
there is something of a “backdrop”—a
“background”—here to be noted. Those
1st Century Christians could have never foreseen the
scope, or the severity of the persecution that they would be
under. Nevertheless, it is talked about here.
There are many
other references that we could look at throughout the New Testament
that would lead us to the same conclusion. For example, Paul
says in Philippians, chapter 1, verse 29, we not
only “believe in Him,” but we also
“suffer for His sake,” [“For to you
it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in
Him, but also to suffer for His sake,…”].
Well, indeed, that is what we see going on here, and that’s
the Message: “Hold on!”
“Wait!” “There is going to be
vindication!” “There is going to be
victory!”
Tonight, we
are going to start a summary, or an overview, [survey] of the book
of Revelation. The copy of the “Survey
of Revelation” that you are receiving this evening is one
that I “lifted” from Brother Jim McGuiggan’s book
on Revelation [The Book of Revelation by Jim McGuiggan,
International Biblical Resources, Inc., Lubbock, TX, 1976.].
I thought that was a good, succinct, chapter-by-chapter survey of
the book. So we will elaborate a little bit on those things
on the pages before you this evening.
[NOTE: McGuiggan’s
chapter-by-chapter survey comments below will be in [ ] and are
typed verbatim. All other comments are by John
Phillis.]
There is even a
more brief summary that I could give you here of four points:
Chapters 1 through 3 introduce the letter and also
introduce the letters to the seven churches of Asia;
chapters 4 through 11 are the seven sealed books;
chapters 12 through 20, the great battle which is
God versus Satan; and, chapters 21 through 22,
victory in Christ.
In the opening
part of the book, chapter 1, we see that it was
written to the Lord’s people, principally to seven
congregations there in the latter part of the first century.
The churches of Christ at Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira,
Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, are the original recipients of
this letter. They were the first ones to read this
letter. [Revelation 1:4:
“John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to
you and peace from Him Who is and Who was and Who is to come, and
from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.”
Revelation 1:11: “saying, ‘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 the
first three chapters, we see that it contains
specific material, which is directed to those seven churches.
As we go through them in more detail later on, we’ll see that
five of the seven churches are rebuked by the Lord. Only two,
Smyrna and Philadelphia, are praised.
The Lord would
say to those five churches He rebuked:
“Ephesus,
you have lost your earlier zeal for divine things,”
[Revelation 2:2-4: “I know your works,
your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are
evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and
are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and
have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not
become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you
have left your first love.”].
“Pergamos, you have allowed false teachers
to come in among you and you haven’t been concerned about
it—you haven’t done anything about it,”
[Revelation 2:14-15: “But I have a few
things against you, because you have there those who hold the
doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block
before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols,
and to commit sexual immorality. Thus you also have
those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I
hate.”].
“Thyatira, you have compromised on your
morals,” [Revelation 2:20:
“Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because
you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to
teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat
things sacrificed to idols.”].
“Sardis,
you claim to be strong—you claim to be spiritual, but, in
reality, you are spiritually dead,” [Revelation
3:1: “And to the angel of the church in
Sardis write, ‘These things says He Who has the seven Spirits
of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have
a name that you are alive, but you are
dead.”’”].
“Laodicea, you boasted of your wealth in
material things, but in My view,” the Lord is saying,
“You are poor, miserable, wretched, blind and naked,”
[Revelation 3:17: “Because you say,
‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of
nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched,
miserable, poor, blind, and
naked,…’”]. That church, it would
seem, had everything, but they didn’t have the
Lord—they didn’t have Christ.
So we see the
condition there of those five churches. But two of the
churches receive praise from the Lord, Smyrna and
Philadelphia.
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