I

aa

-,a Fi
-::)'it*::
.]...::|..:.i:.:i':.::1. :'..)|.'.:l:..i::.1 ll..

GoalA: Explain 3 reasons why we seven /xessages lor all churches.

/7?essages are for cnurches.
I Goal B: Analyze the praise, problem, solution, warning, and promise lo Ephesus. Apply these to
a believers today.

r Setting
- There were many other churches Description Verses in Revelation
I
in --\sia Minor besides the seven in 7 churches 1:4, 11,20;2-3
. Rerelation.r One example is the church
7 spirits 1:4;3:1;4:5; 5:6
rt Colosse to whom Paul wrote. The 7 lampstands 1:12,20;2:1; 4:5
D sevcn churches in Revelation were not
thc- rnost impofiant, the largest, or the
7 stars 116,2A;2:1;3:1
= trniv churches of that day. But God chose 7 seals 5:1-5; 6:1-17; 8:1
I these seven because they represented 7 horns 5:6
I
certain spiritual conditions. For example, 7 eyes 5:6
u hat John wrote to *Ephesus, other 7 angels 8:2, 6-9:19; 107;11:15; 15:1 ,6-17,,2;21:9
I
I C'hristians in other places needed to hear. 7 trumpets 8:2, 6-9:'l 9; 10:7; 11:15
Thcre are three reasons why we believe 7 thunders 10:3-4
all Christians need to pay attention to
-I John's rxessages to the seven churches.
7 thousand people killed 11 13
7 heads 12'.3;3:1: 17:3,7,9
1. God praises good and hates evil 7 crowns 12:3
I in all locations. In Mark l3:37, Jesus
I 7 years divided in half 13:5
rias talking to His followers about the
7 plagues and 7 bowls 15:1, 6-17:1;21:9
tirne of His retum. He told them, "What
I 7 hills 17:9
I scn; to J,ott, I sa1: to eventone' 'Watc:h ! ' "
= Lrkewise, what Jesus says to the seven 7 kings 17:9-11

I
churches in Revelation 2-3 He says to Figure 3.2 Chart showing some of the 7s in Revelation
I all. What the Lord reveals about Hirr,self
to each church, He reveals to all. The good deeds He praises in Ephesus, He praises
Ol \ Could the rnessage
I in any church that has these good deeds. The sin He hates in one church, He hates in to Ephesus help believers at
! another. The promises He gives to overcomers in one church, He gives to all overcomers your church? Explain.
in all churches. Locations do not change what God loves and hates.
I
I 2. John sent the whole book of Revelation to all seven of the churches. Each 02 ,)\ Summarize3
church did not receive only the part directed to it. That is why we say each church reasons why we believe the
seven messages are for all
r received a message, and not a letter.* Each church received the entire book of Revelation.
believers.
!l Recall that Jesus blesses those who read and obey all of Revelation, not just a part of it
(Rev. 1 :3;22:7). John did not say that those with ears to hear should hear what the Spirit
I said to only one church. The words "He w'ho has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says
a to lalll the churches " are repeated many times. This shows us that all of the messages to
the churches are for believers to hear and obey.
I
a 3.Thenuqpe17s@orfullness.2SevenappearS54timesin
Revelation (See Figure 3.2). God rested on the seventh day after His creation was
complete. The seven messages in Revelation} and3 were for real churches in real cities.
a
- Each church had members and a pastor. Revelation 2-3 contains some material that

t + The outline in the NIV Study Bible refers to the letters to the seven churches. We prefer the
a
word nressage instead of lefter. Using the word /etfer makes it sound like each church received
only one message. In contrast, the Spirit wanted all seven churches to hear all seven messages
a and all of Revelation. Each church did not receive a separate letter. Rather, each received all of
, the book of Revelation.

a 35
I
 Revelation & Daniel
I
36 I

especially applied to specific chuP iht- ser en lnessages to the seven a

I
churches give us a complete message
Sotle compare the seven church.-s rrr Se \ eI] time periods of church
history.

Characterist cs of the Church a

Church Time Period I
1. Ephesus A.D.33-'100 Busy. correct in their be e's . ::. a n \/o

2. Smyrna A.D. 100-312 Persecuted and poo.. but ;--: I

I
3. Pergamum A.D. 312-590 Faithful in persecution, but tolerant of false teachers like Balaam and Nicolas
4. Thyatira A.D.590-1517 :: =
Fruitful in deeds of love. b-:
I
5. Sardis A.D. 1517-1750 Well known, but mostly deac ,- -- : -.. z :'e rrspotted robes I
6. Philadelphia A.D. 1750-1905 Persecuted and pure: reac) i: -'.'a = .
7. Laodicea A.D. 1905-Tribulation Lukewarm, formal. powerless. .': -: .
I
,
Figure 3.3 Chart comparing the seven churches to seven time per!ods of church history

In this view the church at Ephesus represents the Church

from A.D. 33 to 100. Then each of the remaining six churches,
in order, represents a period of church history. Laodicea
represents the final state of the lukewarm church.3 This
will be a backslidden church left on earth after the Rapture.
Matching the seven churches rvith periods of church history is
an interesting vieu'.r Those rvith this view, however, believe
there is always a faithful remnant of the Church. For a more
complete explanation of this vierv. read Dr. David Yonggi
Figure 3.4 Stone arch at Roman Cho's book. s
public meeting place in Smyrna
I
Figure 3.5 gives a surnmary of the ser.en 111e SS3S.-S lrr :1-.. s.\ en churches. Notice that
!
the message to each church has six par-ts. Each nr.ss.rS. begrns u'ith a description of
O3 \ LookatEphesus Christ. These descriptions of Jesus come fror.r-r thc' r i:itr:'r Jrrhn \\'rLrte about in Revelation I
and Pergamum in the chaft. l:12-16. The second parl of the lnessage is usuallr a \\ 3vl oi p13l:. to the church. Parts I

How do the descriptions of

Christ relate to the warnings
to each of these churches?
3-5 are the problern, solution, and warning. Each 1re ssage clerses u'itlr Pafi 6, a protnise
to those who overcome. Take a few minutes to studr the chart rrn the seven chltrches.
Then we will study about Ephesus, the first church o1r thL- charr Rer ieu' this charl after
wc study each church.

Description Praise to the Church Solution or

Ghurch Warning Promises
of Christ church problem counsel
Deeds, hard
work
Holds 7 stars Remember
Perseverance Their lampstand Overcomers will
Ephesus Walks among
Rejected false Left first love Repent may be eat of ihe tree of
(2:1-7) golden removed, life in paradise.
apostles Re-do
lampstands
Hated deeds of
Nicolaitans
They suffered. Those faithful to
Satan will put
They were poor, Do not be afraid death will gain a
First and Last prison.
some in
Smyrna but spiritually to suffer. crown of life.
Died and came There will be
(2:8-11) rich. Be faithful, Overcomers will
alive suffering for 10
Slandered and even to death. not be hurt by the
days.
accused second death.

Continued on next page

illllfifl[|'*'
D '.':ssages to the Seven Churches-Parl
- 1 37

-
i Church
Description
of Christ
Praise to the
church
Church
problem
Solution or
counsel
Warning Promises

t Llved by Satan's Allows followers Overcomers receive

Has the Christ may fight
hidden manna and
: P-orgamum
sharp,two
throne of Balaam
Repent
against them
a white stone with a
t2.12-17) Remained true in Allows with the sword of
edged sword new name written on
His mouth.
- deadly trials Nicolaitans
it.
: Deeds, love,
Son of God faith, service Overcomers will
II Followers of
Thyatira Allows the false Repent of receive authority
I Eyes like fire Perseverance Jezebel will
prophetess Jezebel's over nations and
i.2.18-29) Feet like lncreasing deeds suffer greatly
Jezebel ways. receive the morning
brass Some do not with her.
I star.
I follow Jezebel.
Wake up!
t Strengthen Overcomers will be
Sardis
Holds 7 spirits Deeds Dead! what is near The sinful will be
dressed in white,
of God death. and Christ will not
(3:1-6) A few don't wear Deeds were not surprised when
blot their names
t Holds 7 stars dirty clothes. complete. Remember He comes.
out of His book, but
t Obey claim them.
Repent
II
An open door
at
Christ will keep them
Holy and true Deeds from the hour of
I trial that will test the
1 Philadelphia Holds the Little strength,
kept His word
Hold on so you whole earth.
key of David: do not lose your
13:7-13)
opens and Endured crown. Jesus is coming
i soon.
1 shuts doors patiently
Overcomers will be
pillars and be written
IT on.
a, The Amen Christ rebukes those
Buy from
The faithful Neither cold nor He loves.
:l Christ gold,
and true hot The Lord will lf you open the door,
rt Laodicea
witness Confession
clothes, and
eye medicine. spit out the He will come in.
t.3.14-22)
The ruler did not match lukewarm. dvercomers will sit
I Be sincere,
of God's condition. with Christ on His
! repent
creation throne.
Figure 3.5 Summary of the seven messages to the churches in Revelation
aa
a A. The city of Ephesus
Ephesus i= prgbgblffui! ot, thligpf th" rqu e crcaresr ciw.^ O4 State at /easf 3

-a it ullGitlfiF Aegean Sea and lbrnous lor business. The biggesr ships lnilfiioiid6Tid things the New Testament
^ about Ephesus.
corne there. Also, there were major roads that ended in Ephesus. Some have dug up the main tel/s us
sn'eet ofthe ciqz. it was 36 feet (1 1 m) wide, 1,735 feet (529 m) long, and made of marble. The
ra :treet ended at the sea. There were business shops all along the main street. Sorne think about
- 100.000 people lived in Ephesus when John wrote Revelation.T
Ephesus was also famous for the teruple gf tlle_-Greek god4e-ss, *Attemis. (Some
a
) rei'er to Arlemis as Diarl4, her Roman name.s) People worshiped her as the goddess of
:ire tnoon. She was also linked with childbirth. Statues showed her with many breasts.e
t I1.-r lqrnple lyas one_o,Llhe-seven-)y-gldg_rs*of the Old World. In the entire world, there
- ', as no olfrE-no*in t"*ple so greailt *u, +zl]."itTm ffiong, 220 feet(67 m) wide,
rnd had 120 stone pillars that r,vere each 60 feet (18 m) high. People traveled to Ephesus
a :iorn all over the Roman Empire. There they bowed down to the idol of Arternis. Recall
- :1:e sreat riot in the city during Paul's ministry (Acts l9:23-41). Businessmen, like
D:metrius. became angry rvhen people began to fuirr from Aftemis to Jesus.
a
a
 Revelation & Daniel
38

There is a lot in the Bible related to Ephesus'

Paul's greatest revival rvas in E'phesus' He rninistered
3 years there; longer than in any otl-rer city (Acts
ZO::t). Ephesus was an open cloor to reach Asia Minor'
He preached the gospel in the synagogue, in the school of
Tyrannus, in homes, aud in the marketplaces (Acts 19)'
, Twelve men were baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts
I9 -7). Unholy spirits rvere cast out of rnany' The sons of
:1

Sceva had a race in the street. But the anoir"rting on Paul

was so great in this pagan city that handkerchiefs frorn his
body brought healing.
r Converts bumed magic books rvofih enough money to pay
1,000 men for u'orking 50 days. Did the smoke fi'om these
books fill the main street atrd enter the ten,ple of Artemis?
Figure 3.6 paul letl Priscilla and Aquila to minister in Ephesus (Acts
.
1 8:18-19).
. In Ephesus, Apo11os, the great Jelvish speaker' came to
know the r'vay of God in a better rvay (Acts 18:24-26)'
Priscilla and Aquila tar-rght him there'
r Paul was very close to the Ephesian elders' He wept with
them when he had to say good-bye (Acts 20:17-38)'
o Tir-nothy became the first bishop of Ephesus. Paul left hirn
there and wrote to l-rim later (1 Tim. 1:3)'
. The letter to the Ephesians is one of Paul's most glorious
letters in the Nerv Testatnent' It emphasizes that Jews and
Gentiles are one in Christ.
Ephesus is truly one of the most important cities in the
New Testament. John rvrote first to the Ephesians' To them he
described Jesus as the One rvho holds the seven stars in His
right hand and walks among the ser.en golden lampstands' Then
Figure 3.7 John said some good things about the Ephesian believers'
Ruins of the temple of Artemis (Diana) in Ephesus
B. The praise: four encouraging things about the Ephesian Ghristians
good deeds probably
o They did good deeds and worked hard for God (Rev. Z:Z).TheiI.
andwidows, and
included attending churc[ giving offerings to the poor, helping orphans
(2 Sam' 24:24)' They were
witnessing. lt waI costing ihemiomething to follow Christ
praised them for this'
not idle. The Ephesian church was alive and active. The Lord
who
/A il; ftua nooa doctrine. They did not follow false teachers, but tested those
U .hil"J," i. apostles (Rev. 2:2). Unlike many today, the saints at Ephesus studied
who made up stories
the Word. This led them to sepalate themselves from teachers
at Berea' They did not
and twisted Scriptures. The Ephesians were like the Christians
Scriptures to see what
say "Amen" to ihat .u.ry pi"urher said. They searched the
preachers are liars' Jesus
was true (Acts 17:11). Thus, they discovered that some
just listening to others'
^ oraised the Ephesians for studying the Scriptures and not
a) il;hudend,r.unce.ItwasnoteasytobeaChristianinEphesus.MenlikeDemetrius
(Rev' 2:3)'
V h;;;A ahrirtiurr. But these believers did not grow weary in well doing
Ephesian christians
They were not like the seed that fell on stony soil. These
appreciated their
persevered when hard trials came. The Lord assured them that He
\ endurance. *Nicolaitans (Rev. 2:6)' The Nicolaitans
G\L* they hated the practices of the
Figure 3.8 Va"gfri resus,
that believers are free to follow the lusts of the flesh. The Bible
teaches that
Artemis (Diana) (1 Cor. 6:9-10;
statue at EPhesus none who follow the lusts of the flesh will inherit God's kingdom
a Messages to the Seven Churches-Part 1
?o
,
i Rev. 21:8).10 Hating what God hates is a key to having fellowship with Him. We will a5 \ What does it cost
' study this irnportant topic rnore when we come to Thyatira. in lesson 4. church members you know to
live for Christ?
C. The oroblem: qood works without love
-
a "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love" (Rev. 2:4). Notice O 6 \ Are all preachers in
that the Lord mixes in four positive things with only one negative thing. He builds them your area truthful? Explain.
I
up about four things, and only asks them to improve in one area.It is easier to receive
. correction if it is mixed with praise. A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
The Ephesians got an "A" grade for hate, but an "F" for love. Matthew 24:12 speaks O 7 what did the
-rr of a time when the rise of evil will cause the fall of love. Ephesus was a place of great Nicolaitans believe?
^
evil. The greatest Greek temple in the world was there. Enemies like Demetrius hated
- Christians. But there were also enemies inside the church. These internal enemies called
: themselves apostles. However, the Ephesian Christians called them liars. Other enemies O8 \ Why do people
respond befter when
within the church were the Nicolaitans. The Ephesians hated the sins of the Nicolaitans. correction is mixed with
t God praised them for this hate. But we can spend too much time hating and not enough praise?
time loving. We should use most of our time to think about good things (Phil. 4:8). The
= world does not know we are Christians by our hate. O9 What isthe danger
r
r Perhaps the evils of Ephesus made it easy for believers to slip away from their first of spending too much time
hating^ evil?
love. But there may also be a second reason for their falling. The church at Ephesus was
:r about 30 years old when John wrote to believers there. Paul had praised the believers for
qt their love when he wrote to the Ephesians (Eph. I :15- 16). But
the church at Ephesus was uow in its second generation of
I believers. I I Many of the believers at Ephesus had not been in
I
the revival with Paul. They had become Christians during the
l[)-r.'ear period between the letters of Paul and John. These
rl 'r.'lievers had not completely left Christ. But their love was
I
.rrrri. Sometimes the second and third generations of believers
.irr r.iot have the same hot love for Christ that their parents had.
I
i--)n the other hand. revival may come through the young.
,
The Ephesian believers were still doing some good works.
rt 3..: the source of their good works was no longer love for
a - .-.:ist. Good deeds were just part of a dull way of life. They
.-.: lost their first love, joy, and zeal. rebuilt Celsus Library, next
t to the huge gates of the market at Ephesus
1l D. The solution: remember, repent, re-do
\\ henever the Lord shows us a problem, He always has a solution. He told them
r ' 'r.:3 steps to take to be in the right relationship with Him. He told them to remember,
l, ,:':nt. and re-do.
' Remember! So often, slipping away t}om Christ is the result of forgetting rvhat Q 10 \ How is your love
-a : , lCe klerv.rz Many times what we need is not a new truth or revelation. We need to for Christ compared to the
way it was when you first met
,::rrir.ibcr the way it once lvas in our relationship with the Savior. him?
a \r ourrg man met Jesus Christ as his Savior. His love and joy were so great that
a -' jked
.,, to many about Jesus. One day in Sunday school class he asked his teacher a
- ,.:>trrrn. "Can rve put the good new's about Jesus Christ in the nervspaper?" He rvanted
a trlri in the town to know the Jesus he had met. In those days he spent a iot of tirne
a - . -'r.
-,,r.rr! his Bible. A1so, he wished there were more church services during the week.
ta - :iusband had fbrgotten how much he once loved his r,vife. Looking at some old
' , ,irr-S helped hirn remember the way his love was in the early years of mariage. He
:,,,'-1.-.1 thc kind u,ay he once talked to his wife. Once he really cared about how nice
gJ
a . , .,....ked. Nou'. it did not matter to him. He remembered the patience he once showed
a ' 'r'r Llnce. rl she rvas 1ate. he sat smiling and thinking about her. Now, he yelled at her
' .::''. Lr: I Thinking about the past helped hirn remernber how' far he had fallen.
a
a
40 Revelation & Daniel

O 11 ,} Explain 3 keys to
recovering our first love for
Jesus.
2. Repent. Repentance is a changeof mind. It means to face another direction. Do not
just feel bad about how far you have fallen. Turn around and face the direction that was
better! Change your mind and your attitude!
3. Re-do. Re-do or do again the things you once did. Notice the Lord does not say
to seek after the former feelings. Feelings follow actions. If we practice doing the right
things, with the right attitudes, the right feelings willfollow.13 Therefore, after we change
our attitudes, we need to change our actions.
Do not let your good works decrease. Practice the things that you know are right.
Take time to pray. Pay your tithes. Give offerings to the poor. Live a holy life. Read your
Bible often. Hate evil. Love what is right. Be faithful in attending your church.
Remember how far you have fallen. Repent. Re-do. These are the three steps to
returning to our first love for Christ.
E. The warning
Jesus warned the believers at Ephesus what would happen if they refused to listen.
"If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place"
(Rev. 2:5). If they were stubborn, the church would be removed from the presence of
Jesus. In other words, the Lord would no longer be in their midst.ra
History tells us that the church at Ephesus did well until the 5ft century. After that, both
the church and the city declined. No one has lived in Ephesus since the 14e century.rs

F. The promise
"To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eatfrom the tree of life, which is
in the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7).
Who are the overcomers? Revelation divides all people into two groups. There are
those who overcome, and those who are overcome. There is no middle group. We either
win or lose. We are either loyal to Jesus Christ or the spirit of the Antichrist. The word
overcomers does not refer to a high level of believers that are more spiritual than other
a 12 ln heaven, will believers.16 Overcomers are the only believers!17
there be some believers who
^ and some who did
overcame The chart that follows is based on the Lord's message to the church at Ephesus. It
not overcome? Explain. emphasizes Romans 12:21, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Rev. Description of those who overcome evil Description of those who are overcome by evil Rev.
a.a They do good deeds and work hard.
z. z-J They persevere through hard times.
2:2 They test and reject false teachers.
They remember, repent, re-do their first works,
2:5 They fall from their first love and do not return. 2'.4
and return to their first love.
2:6 They hate what God hates.
l:/ They submit to what the Spirit says. They are stubborn and refuse to submit to the Spirit. 2'.5
They cease to give light and lose the Lord's presence. 2:5
Figure 3.10 Those who overcome and those who are overcome (Rev. 2:1-7)

To overcomers, the only true believers, Jesus promises the fruit of the tree of life. The
words tree of life refer back to Genesis 3:24 and forward to Revelation22:2. Because of
Adam's sin and our sin, we lost the privilege of eternal life. God gives life back to us in
Christ (Rom. 6:23). We will have new bodies when Christ returns. Therefore, we will
not have the physical needs we have now. But the tree of life is a symbol of eternal life in
the new kingdom. Its fruit reminds us that we must always depend on God's provisions
rather than trust in self.t8
d
a
a
41

l
I Srnyrna:
i
t
E :::] :: !::::tn^::!
J
apl.tv 3 aspecrs ortne coniiion
"r7",i:,*';r;;r;,;'
t
t . -:, rng the messages to the seven churches. From
Ephesus, we move north
:. r-{0 kms.). There we find the second church, *t,i.t A 13 ,} What is smyrna or

I
- :-l ir is the modern city of Izrnir in Turkey.
r.vas in the city of myrrh?
I
- :: . ,l.le s.ord smvrna is the same rvorcl as mymh. Mynh or s,lvrna
,.. :inres in the Gospels.
ir
: -1

I
a
' i.13-They
offered Jesus wine rnixed rvith smyma on the cross.
l' ''r:-19-Nicodemus a,d Joseph took the body orJesu. ao*n
r.o,,
- -:,-_i\ They wrapped it in a linen cloth, addingabout 75 pounds (34
.
- ) .t a Slnvnla and aloes.
I :::r i-r a srveet-srnelring sap orgum.r'To get it, peopre cut the bark Figure'J;""'"::::l::r:s"gesto
the seven churches.
l
' ':':'ii, tree in Ethiopia and Arabia. This causes the tree to bleed the
-.:r:e 1lrng snlyrna. Thus, the tree lnust suffer
t
-
' to produce the fragranc e of snt),,ta.
' .i.',':::::,:""Y']1^'"Yl::T,.,1n" spiritual ,.:yrrlthat sufrering produces in a14 whataresome
' 'rirss *'e should note about the condition of berierl.r ,t
snry-u. ^
i They were persecuted.
--iecurron came fiom the-gg11gpment, from unbelieving Jews,
and from Satan.
' r-'r had a close relationship*with Rome. The
citizens of Smyma built a te,.rple to
- -.'1.an Emperor Tiberius in 23 B.c.20 Also, there *... ,r.,uny
-" -JYai
-.' Jews in s*v*i*rro-
', 'r}'ai to Rome' Ror11sn (-qo"o"o
Rome The Roman Caesars .t^,-^-r^r
demanded +^ 1-^ --
to be r
worshiped.
.
They commancled
- - :rerson to confess that caesar was Lord. This was the govemment law! But the
- :' .lrS refused. Therefore,
the govemment calred Christians traitors.
:'rlers killed sorne christians and put otrrers in prison.
Berievers lost
' - rbs because the govemment hated them. They lost their possessions
-
- ' ': ":c- the go'emment r.vourd not protect them.
In Srnyn u, b"li"uers paid
_- r price to follorv Jesus. They suffered for their faith.
''''
ho *'ould choose to live in Srny,ra? wro rvould
choose to s,ffer?
" :.anv! But sometirnes God chooses for us to suffer. Someti,res it is
.r : rii1l for us to suf-fer (r pet. 2:20-2r;4:19).
-- --ices a spiritual s,.t1;7'1161 or perfume why/ Because sufferi,g
in christians. Identify the smtrna
:.:,'it of the follorving.
' S "rlf ering produces patience and christian maturity (James 1:2-r).
. Si:t-tering is like a fire that purifies (l pet. 1:6-7).
. iLrl-tering causes us to lose our
desire fbr sin (l pet. 4:1_2).
' S-rtfuring can be a fonn of disciprine to perf-ect
us (r cor. I r:30-32; Figure 3.12 Stone carvings in
Heb.12:3-t 1).
. Smyrna. Center is poseidon, Greek
>',Lltcnng may prevent us from sinning and
help us be holy (2 Cor. god of the sea and horses. The
. l:'). Romans changed his name to
' S'rt'fering can teach us things that nothing erse
can teach us (Heb. 5:g). Neptune. Left is Demeter.
S ri ttering gives an opportu,ity She was the Greek goddess of
' . for a powerful testirnony for christ (Acts farming, marriage, and fertility.
I -i_ 16).
The Romans called her Ceres.
a S,rttering enables us to fellowship with Jesus (Col.
1:24).
a >':tltri,g gives us apath to foilow the footsteps of christ (r pet.2:21).
ia
Revelation & Daniel

O 15 \ Are James 1:2 and
Hebrews 12:11 referring to
the same kind of suffering?
Exp!ain.
O 16 \ Suppose youwere
the pastor of the church Marc
attended. What counsel would
you have given Marc and
Francis?
A 17 ,^ Are riches or
poverty a sign of being
spiritual? Explain.
Figure 3.13
OId stone sarcophagus in Smyrna
(for the body of a rich person)
James tells us to rejoice when we suffer (James 1:2). But Hebrews 12:11 says that no
discipline seems joyful at the time, but painful. Both are true from different points of view.
Would you choose to laugh or cry? Most of us would choose to laugh. However, God
gives no promise to those who laugh. But He blesses those who mourn and those who
are persecuted (Matt. 5:4,10-12).
Whom shall we pity, those who suffer or those who do not? David was a man with
many tears and trials. These trials shaped him into a mature leader. His son, Solomon,
grew up in a palace. He never had a splinter in his finger or a callus on his hand. He
enjoyed pleasure and riches instead of hard work and suffering. Whom shall we pity,
David or Solomon? Cry with the believers at Smyma,brttfor those at Laodicea.
The believers at Smyrna smelled sweet to God. Persecution had brought forth a godly
perfume in their lives. Jesus had no rebuke for these believers. We should not search for
trials and suffering. But when these come, they 1et us know God has a pu{pose.
Marc was a believer. A church began in his home. h the beginning, there were only a few
believers. However, as believers shared their faith, others began to accept Christ. As the years
passed, the number of believers increased. They bought land and built a nice church. Marc
was faithftl to God and the church during these years. But one thing caused him many tears.
He had been married for several years. Still they had no children. His wife became pregnant
nine times during these yeals. Her pregnancy never lasted over a few months. They always
lost the baby before it was time for it to be bom. Another believer named Francis criticized
them. He told Marc and others that God was punishing them for their sins. This only added to
the sorrow of Marc and his godly wife. Then she became pregnant the tenth time. After nine
months, she gave birttr to their first son. Marc and his wife were delighted. Francis said they
musthave repented.
B. They were poor.
The Greek word that describes the believers at Smyrna is for the poorest of the poor.
Perhaps some of them did not have two pennies to rub together. The goverruxent wo.uld
FR.*,-- r nolprotect
not nlg,]!gg!j!!Sm l.rke *ury
rohhers. Like
agatnsf robters.
them against manv lth., Cm
other (lhrisfians fheir nroneriv
and possessions were probably stolen (Heb. l0:34).2r These believers were
poor by earthly standards, but spiritually rich.22 They had shong faith.
Some teachers today rebuke poor Christians. Thesb false teachers say
that those who have faith cannot be poor like the believers at Smyrna. These
proud hypocrites think that riches are the evidence of being spiritual. In the
Old Testament, riches were sometimes a sign of God's blessing. But in the
New Testament, you cannot measure a person's faith by wealth or poverty.
Many of the apostles were poor (2 Cor.6:i0). James tells us that God has
chosen the poor to inherit His eternal kingdom (James 2:5). For every rich
man that reaches heaven, there will be a thousand poor people there (Matt.
19:21-24; Luke 1:53; 4:18;7:22). False teachers today rebuke the poor. But
Jesus said only good things to the poor believers at Smyrna. In contrast, the
Lord rebuked the rich believers at Laodicea. Rather than rebuke the poor, we
should share with them (Matt. 6:3;Rom. 15:26).

C. They were slandered.

We know that Satan falsely accuses believers (Rev. 12:10). In Greek the word devil
(diabolos) means "accuser."23 In Smyrna the devil was accusing Christians through
those claiming to be Jews. We are called to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. But these
Jews were the synagogue of Satan (Rev.2:9).
O18 \ Doyouknow Recall that Jesus, the apostles, and many of the first Christians were Jews. Thousands
any true Jews? of Jews accepted Christ. A true Jew is a person whose heart is right with God (Matt. 3:9;
-, '.,ches-Part 1 43

) - -:-19 ). In New Testament times, the unbelieving Jews were enemies

a . _.rll:.1'
'..,-.'.-s us not to repay anyone evil for evil. Vengeance belongs to God
rI
: - --l 1 t. In the message to Philadelphia, the Lord speaks again about Jews
: :-.rSoSue of Satan. Again, these religious hypocrites were slandering the
rl
- -, , .-:-:t to confess that God loves Christians who patiently endure trials (Rev.

- -- rs a disciple of the apostle John. He was the pastor of the church

$
:, at
- -. .: least day the Jews accused Polycarp of not being loyal to Caesar. They

-- - .. :t-r the Roman goveffror. There he refused to say that Caesar is Lord. The
,.:-:d the old pastor to deny Christ. But Polycarp answered, "Eighty and six
.- : . served Hirn and He never did me hann. How then can I blaspheme my
- : . , S-,r ior'l I arn a Christian!" Later the govemor threatened, "I have wild beasts
- .i r1i throrv you to these if you do not change." As the trial continued, the
:.,.,arned. "I will bum you with fire if you are not afraid of the wild beasts!"
- , .---' .ins\\'ered, "You threaten me with fire that bums for an hour and becomes cold.
- . ,. ,,re isnorant of the fire of coming judgrnent and eternal punishment waiting for
- -;ir . But why are you waiting to kill me? Bring what you want!" Then the Jews
-.l - r.ir'd Christ broke their own Sabbath to gather wood for the fire.25 In the flames,
-::--' Sa\'e thanks that he was wofihy to be a martyr for Christ. Polycarp was the
r- - .
-.
irarn,r for Christ in Smyma.z6
4 .', -'l-lr e studied the condition of the Smyrna church. Believers there were persecuted, a 19 Summarize 3
- . ,,:.d slandered. Jesus knew their condition. We tum now to the Lord's words about things about the condition
^
I of believers at Smyrna.
, -.. -.re.
- -: : Lord says three things to these suffering believers.
--, I He tells them not to be afraid of what they will suffer (Rev. 2:101.
'."
hr not? Because the Lord has promised to never leave us or forsake us (Matt.
I -. - Heb. 13:5). "Eventhoughlwalkthroughthevalleltof theshadovof death,I **ill
r:
! '. . ,
'1,-t eril,.for you are with me" (Ps.23:4).

R:call the way John began the message to Smyma. "These are the words of him O 20 What comfoft does
-! :s rlte First and the Last, v,ho died and came to life again " (Rev. 2:8). Believers at Revelation
^
offer to those who
. r-.,, nla needed this description of Jesus. He is the First and the Last. He existed before suffer for their faith in Christ?
I --: :roubies began and He will be there after our trials are over. His victory over death
a, ,-Jrrrlr&geS us. He died and came to life again. Therefore, we do not fear death. Death
. .,:r1r'a door that we pass through into the presence of God. As Revelation 14:13 says,
I J.';ssed arethe dead **ho dieintheLordfromnow on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "the1t
- ,i rest.from their labor, for their deeds will follow them. "

The Lord wamed them that it would get worse before it got better! "The devil will
--, \ome of you in prison to test you, and .vou will stffir persectttion for ten days " (Rev.
I . r-rt. The encouraging part of this prophecy was that the Lord knew it.

a, \-ou rnight imagine the Lord saying, "Fear not! I will destroy those who persecute
JA . ru. The worst is behind you." Instead, the Lord prornises them more of the same
. rttering! He never promised us freedom from trials. The Bible promises trials to
'::lievers. "Eyalone who wants to live a godly lilb in Christ Jesus w,ill be persecuted"
-
- I Tirn. 3:12). Jesus warned that we would have trouble in the world (John 16:33). But
:{c pron-rised that His grace is sufficient (2 Cor. l2:9').
421 ) Howdosome
- Jesus wamed that persecution would continue for l0 days. Bible teachers are not sure teachers relate the 10 days
- of suffering to the Caesars?
,. irat thrs meant. Some think it meant that the believers at Smyna would only suffer for a
{
U
44 Revelation & Daniel

short period. Others cornpare the 10 days to 10 periods of church

history.
The chart that follow.s shorvs ten Roman rulers. It does not
include Nero, because he ruled before John wrote Revelation.
Nero w'as the first Caesar to slaughter Christians. He caused many
Christians to be killed or put ir-r prison. Tradition says peter was
crucified and Paul beheaded during Nero's reign fi-orn A.D. 54-68.
Nero kicked his pregnant wife to death. He neutered and maried
a boy named Sporus. He also murdered his own mother. It was
his delight to be treated like a god.r7 Also, the chart does NOT
include all Roman ernperors who persecuted the church after John
lvrote.28 The ten rulers in the cl-rart are only parl ofthe evil Caesars
Figure 3.14 At Ephesus rvho ruled after John wrote.
Ghristians martyred in this great theater.
Roman
*emperor Time (A.D.) Characteristics of the emperor

He ordered people to worship him as the god Jupiter. Under this persecution John was exiled or sent
1. Domitian B1-96
away to the island of Patmos. There John wrote Revelation.
He outlawed the Christian faith and persecuted the Church. Tradition says that lgnatius, a disciple oi
2.Tra1an 98-117
Peter, was torn to pieces in a den of lions during this time.
3. Hadrian 117-138 He persecuted Christians.
4. Marcus
1 61-l 80
ThisevilrulermartyredmanyChristians,includingPolycarp,*no*,"ffi
Aurelius Justin.
5. Septimus
193-211
HepassedastrictlawagainstthespreadofChristianity.Asaresult,thm
Severus Africa's famous theologian, was beheaded.
6. Maximum 235-237 He murdered Christians and buried them in groups of 50 to 60.
7. Decius 249-253 This emperor tried to destroy the church through persecution. He died young.
He persecuted the Church. Cyprian, who was both a well-known Christian author and the bishop
8. Valerian 257-260
of Carthage, was a martyr during these years.
9. Aurelian 270-275 He caused much suffering in the Church.
This evil Caesar passed laws to destroy churches and burn all copies of the Bible. He killed every-
10. Diocletian 284-305 Christian he could find. Then he put up a big stone monument saying he"had buried Christianity.
However, 25 ygars after his death, christianity was the state religion oiRome!
Figure 3.15 Ten Roman emperors who persecuted the Church
The time periods of these ten Caesars emphasize the persecution believers have
'endured! Jesus warned that things would get worse, and they did get worse!
There was great persecution in the Church from A.D. 96-305. Hundreds of Christians
were dragged into large outdoor theaters. There thousands of people came to watch lions
eat the Christians. Many believers were crucified. Others were covered with animal
skins and torfured by wild dogs. Some were covered with tar and set on fire to serve
as human torches. Others were boiled in oil or burned alive, like Polycarp. One church
historian estimates that 5 million Christians were martyred for Christ during the two
cenfuries of these ten rulers!2e
This terrible period of history reminds us of believers in the Old Testament. Read
Hebrews l1:35-40.
Since Abel, the earth has been soaked with the blood of those who love God. If you
live with persecution, you are not alone (Rom. 8:36). If you live without persecution,
Figure 3.16 Huge stone
take time to pray for believers who are suffering. About 160,000 believers are killed
head of the Roman Emperor
Domitian (from his temple each year because they love Jesus. That is about 440 each day.3o At this rate, 5 million
in Ephesus) believers are maft;ned every 30 years. In other words, there are six times as many
martyrs today as there were when the Caesars ruledl

ffi
 : :'. Seven Churches-Paft 1
45

-.,:.:strenrn' is like a fire. The more you strike it, the more it will
.-r:,,.1 titlt-ruqh the sparks that fly away.-r1
E He promises a crown of life to those faithful to death
(Rev.2:10).
S::rrma had a marb_le,stle"etand nrany-beaLrti l buildings. These
, .i il,rt rnen bu1liwere re&ued to, u**""riitry;;;;;;:tifXr;
S:r.rrna rvere proud of this temporary crowlt. But Jeiui promiserl
...:r ers a pemanent crown of life (Rev. 2:10).
The Scriptures assure us that God measures our trials. He will not
.'.i us to be tested more than we can bear. He will alu.ays provide
.:,i\ out ofthe trial so that we can standup under it (l Cor. 10:13).
t ,, u-\.er. for many believers, the r.vay of escape has been death. Death
. -, sudden mercy. God has placed limits on suffering. If the devil had
: i\'&),, believers rvould suffer forever. But God has decreed that
:., :l can only continue for a time. As a whistle ends a soccer match, Figure 3.17 Gateway to a Roman forum
-.'-i,1.r stops a person's suffering on earth. The Christian life is a race, that was part of Smyrna's crown
,:. . tltc finish line is death.
During the 200 years from A.D. 100-300, many Christians lived in tunnels under the
a22 ln John's day, what
*catacombs. They still exist in Rome
-.:,rltnd. These tunnels are called today. There are was the crown of the city of
rr;tures on the ivalls of these tunnels. One picture has the face of Jesus and a bird flying ^
Smyrna?
,r'.,iard hirn. Beside it are the words, "Our beloved resunects and goes to the presence
O 23 ,} ln what way is
.'ithe Lord. Wait forthe coming of the Lord."r2 Thus Christians kepttheirfaith, even death a sudden me.rcy?
.', iren they lived and died under the ground.
They looked forward to the crown of life
.r:sus promised them (Rev. 2:10; James 1 :12). O24 Whatisthe
F. Jesus promises that those who overcome will not be hurt at all by the second death?
^
second death (Rev. 2=11).
Revelation 20:11-15 describes the final judgment at the Great White Throne of
God. The *second death is the lake of fire (Rev.20:14). This is the sad fate of all
.'i ho do not know Jesus Christ
as Savior and Lord. Sinners may persecute Christians,
rnd even kill them. The 10 days may have been a brief period or a 200-year period
.rl histov. Either way, it was a short time compared to eternity in heaven.
During the Roman persecutions a small boy and his father were led to the wild
beasts. As the cages opened, the angry animals appeared. The little boy rnoved
closer to his flather. The child asked, "will it hurt, father?" The father put his arm
around the boy's shouiders. Then, looking up, he declared by faith, "perhaps, for
one swift moment. But he who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second
death."
Take a moment to read the encouraging rvords of Romans 8:lg, 35-39.
3EFor I am convinced that neither death nor life, neirher angels nor clemons,
neither llte pre.sent nor the.fitture, nor anv pott'er\,3eneither height nor depth, Figure 3.18 Ruins
nor an1;tfuing else in crll creation, will be able to separate us front the love o/'Goct from the marketplace of
Smyrna
thqt is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Pergamum: The church rhat Lived in satan,s cipitiiCttv'iiti;. 2:i')-D S

Goal: Summarize 3 truths that fhe message to Pergamum teaches about churches. S
Setting
xPergamum is the third of the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. It is located
:bout 50 miies (80 krn) north of Smyma (modern Izmir). it is only about 20 rniles
 Revelation & Daniel
46

(32 km) from Pergamum to the Aegean Sea. Today. the srnall
village of Bergama in Turkey exists near the ruins of ancient
Pergamum.33
The Greek word pergamnr? means "fortress" or "fort'" The
city waibuiit dn top of ahill shaped like a cone or pear' The top
of rhe hill rvas 1 ,000 feet (305 n'r) above the land arotmd it'
The city of Rome was the capital of the entire Roman
Er3g4re. But Pergatlum was the Rotnan capital of the region
of Asia. What Ro,o" was to the rvestern half of the empire,
Pei[imurn was to the eastem half. More than any other city,
it looked like the seat of authority. It stood tall and proud at
the top of a huge, rocky hill.3a Pergamum had a university and
a library of 200,000 scrolls. Each of thesc scrolls was written
by hand! The city is also known for inventing parchment'
Figure 3.19 Large outdoor theater of Pergamum This r'vas a sheepskin prepared to lvrite on. The uressage to
with thousands of seats
Pergamum includes three great truths about churches.
A. God wants churches where sinners live.
O 25 ,^ What are 5 ways Jesus referred to Pergam was the center for
Satan led people astraY in nr" lowaboutth@
Pergamum?
w-iffigamum.Youare1earningwhatJohnandthebe1ieversinPergamuma1ready
knew.
o An altar to Zeus was located 800 feet (244 m) up the rocky mountain. Zeus was the
chief of the Greek gods. His altar was on the edge of the mountain. It looked like a
throne that was 40 feet (12 m) high. Smoke rose all day, each day, from sacrifices
made to Zeus.3s This altar has been moved to Berlin, Germany'36
r Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, had a temple beside the altar to Zeus'
. Dionysos, the Greek god of wine and sex, had a temple there. When people came to
this temple to worship, they had sex with the prostitutes who lived in the temple!
. Asclepius, the Greek god of healing or medicine, had a temple outside the city wall.
The symbol for this god was a snake curled around a staff. (Satan stole this idea from
Numbers 21:8-9.) Snakes that were not poisonous crawled and slithered around in
the temple. Sick people came from all over the earth to Pergarfium. They slept on the
floor in-the temple. They believed the snake god healed sick people. They hoped he
would touch them in a dream. Today, most people realize that snakes do not heal us.
Rather, they kill people! In India, Hindus still worship the cobra snake. Over 20,000
people die each year from cobra bites in India'37
o Caesar was also worshiped in Pergamum. Once each year, each person was required
to enter his temple. There they put a pinch of incense into the fire on the altar and
said, "Caesar is Lord."
lnagine a sign near the edge of the city. It says, "Welcotne to Pergamum, the tl-rrone
ol Satanl"
Pergamum needed a church more than most places' Only one church kept Pergamum
fi-orr being a place of total, spiritual clarkness. Many times, when sin increases in a city,
believers move away. We like to live where it is safe and comforlable. But praise be to
God that these believers did not move away. Life was difficult for them iu Pergamuur.
Figure 3.20 But they were the only hope for the lost sinners in that city. Sorne like to live in the
Stone carving to
shadow ofa church so they can hear the chapel bell. Others feel called to open a resclie
Asclepius at Pergamum.
He was the Greek god of station a step away from hell.rs
healing. .lesus knorvs the address of each believer. He knows the amount of evil in each place.
He praised the believers at Pergamum for holding fast his name. This shorvs that ther
had been faithful to confess Christ and live a holy life.
 'rrg ibr christ in pergamurn did not produce ,ruch
-'- fruit. But trre Lord
:;r-rcir truit frorn beiievers lvho rive
teside Satan,s throne. Sometimes
' ''-' hard and rocky it breaks the plow. Then the landowner
does not expect
' rr- rlle same as that of good soil.r' our parl is to be faitrrful. Recall the
::'r.able of the sower (Matt. 13; Ma'k +; rute B).
The fate of the seed
":: listeners. not trre one who sows. Noah did nor h;"" ;;;; ;Jnverts.
But
-,lr-d hirnl
..: praised
- - believers for stanrling fim. They did this
even when *Antipas was
' :
-. i:irll says tliat Antipas rvas roasted in a
brass bowl during the days of Domitian.ao
Q 26 \ What ptace do
you know that is most like
- ' '': ' :he Lord calls Antipas by name (Rev.
2:13). He does not ..fe. to Antipas as Pergamum?
' irl'Ss' bfi as "my-faithlilr witness. " my
-';ilree *'ords, "ry1,fuithfttr witrtess," terl us
;;.;;;;iffi;,
The Bibre does not ,uy
Q 27 \ Why does God
' :' -::rd Herod Antipas so muci-rl wrrat a contrast
who killed John the Baptist (Matt.
b;,;;ilil, expect more fruit from some
14:3-r2).1r believers than from others?
3 Some dangerous enemies of the Church
are inside it.
'''.t ertheless' , r:1r",a
you
fev, thing.t crgainst vou; rtave peopre trtere vtho hord
.)tc
teoc'hing of Balaant, who-uulht Bcttak
to entice the Israelites to sin lty
"::tig /bctd sacrificed lo ic{ols ond bv contntitting sexuctl intntorqlin+. lsLikewise
:i tlso ltot'e those t'ho hortr to rhe rcoching
of tie Nicoraitans,, (Rev. 2:14_r5).
Selie'rers at Pergamum overcalre the
-: '-,lse teachings about enemies outside the church. They overcame
Zeus, trre snake god, and worshiping
::,-: \\ &flted the followers of two enemies-inside
the
" u rrrun rike caesar. But
r
' Jesus warned those foilowing the teachings"hur"h.
r -':'al prophet in the old Testament.
of *Balaam. Balaam was an O 28 i\ Which 2 types
Balak, king of Moab, paid Balaam to curse
:'-:-','r, said this was Israel. of srns do those who foltow
not possibre (Nu*. 22-24;. irrrr"",rrprrrj.", Balaam commit?
:."r God blesses people, no one can cause ,rr. great trutrr that
them to be curr"d. Nevertheless, sin brings
: - 'rl'Se $'ith it' Balaam advised Balak
how to
> Balak sent beautiful women to be friendly lead tire israelites into sin (Num. 3l:16).
to the Israeli men. the rnen committed
':.''L:al sins with these Moabite women. The
women invited the Israeli men to eat at
':,:sls. At the feasts the men bowed down their
to
..- gods of the Moabite women (Nurn.
25:l_3).
,.-..rd became angry
wrth the Israeli men because
i rheir sexual sins and idolatry.
Sorne people in the church at pergamum
..'.
ere follorving the teaching of Balaanl.
That
rs. they were attending pagan feasts,
bowing to
.Jols. and committing sexual sins.
A
young believer named Grace had a
'-rroblem. She werrt
to school for many years.
Her parents paid all the bills. Finaily, she
craduated from business school. Still, she
could
rot find a job. Then her parents met a man
who
gar e her a job as a secretary.
She rvas very
:hankful, because jobs were hard to find.
Her
'rarents needed help paying
the school bills of
her brothers and sisters. Her work was
not hard.
The problem was her boss. She did not
like the
'i ar. he looked at her. Then one day he invited
her out for lunch. It was awkward. On the one
:rand. she did not want to eat alone
with hirn. On
:he other itand, she did not want to
offend hirn.
Gianr.marbrecarvins,Ifl :E;r'J-rr-r;;.1;;;-';",
of two stone columns at the entrance
of his temple.
1a
O 29 \ lf Grace came
to you for advice, what
would you tell her?
O 30 \ What are examples
in your culture where
believers have too many
rules or too few?
Figure 3.22
Ruins of the temple of Trajan at Pergamum
?;.: a::' i i,':
So she accepted the invitation. Grace did not enjoy the meal or the boss's con.tpanr. It
soon became clear that he wanted more frorn her than her rvork. He tnade reqllcsts thili
w.ere against her faith. If she did not agree. it appeared that she lvould lose her job.
2. The Lord warned the followers of Nicolas. This n-ray have been the Nicolas ri'ho
was one of the seven deacons (Acts 6:5). Many of the early church fathers believed
Nicolas left the faith and stafied a false teaching.ar The Nicolaitans taught that believers
are free to follow the lust of tl,e flesh. But the Bible teaches us to live a life between
two deadly giants.a3 On the ieft is the giant of legalisrn. This giant, like the Pharisees,
en,phasized too much law. On the right is the giant of lust. This giant, like the Nicolaitans,
emphasized living with too little larv. The path to heaven is obeying the Bible and walking
in the Spirit, not the flesh.
all who follorv the teachings of Baiaam or Nicolas to repent. The Bible
Jesus warns
teaches that none who follor,v the lusts of the flesh will inherit God's kingdom (1 Cor.
6:9-10; Rev. 21:8).aa (We will study more about a believer's attitude toward evil in the
message to Thyatira, lesson 4).
G. Each believer should belong to a church that agrees with the Bible.
"To the angel of the churc'h in Pergarnum write: These qre the v'ords oJ'him who
has the sharp, doubled-eclged sv,ord" (Rev. 2:12).
"Repent there/ltre! Otltent:ise, I w'ill soon come to volt and v'ill./ight against thent
v,ith the sw'ord of mv mouth " (Rev. 2:16).
There were two levels of rulers in the Roman kingdom. There were those who
had the power to kill w-ith the srvord, and those wlio did not.a-' The Rornan ruler in
Pergamum had the authority to kill Christians r,,,ith the srvord. In contrast to this
earthly sword is the sword that flashes frorn the mouth of Christ. This reminds us of a
teaching Jesus shared with His disciples. " Do not be afraid of those who kill the bod-v
but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid o/'the One v,ho can destroy both sotrl and
bod), in hell" {Matt 10:28). We should fear the sword of Christ, rather than the sword
of Caesar.
The Word of God is a srvord with trvo edges. One edge is for fighting the devil. Jesus
defeated the devil three times u,.ith "rr is v'ritten " (Matt. 1:4,7.10). Likewise, believers
resist Satan 'uvith the sword of the Spirit w-hich is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).
The second edge of this sword is to cut away sin in a believer's lif-e.
For the w-ord of God is living and active. Sharper thqn anv double-edged sv'ord,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, ioints and marroY,; it.iudges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heort (Heb. 4:12).
As believers, we should judge ourselves by the Word.
When Christ returns to judge, He will say nothing that He has
not already said in His Word. If we judge ourselves, we will
not be judged (1 Cor. I 1:31). Then His Word becomeS a light
to our paths and a lamp to our feet (Ps. 119:105). However,
those who hear the Word and do not obey it are building on
the sand (Matt. 7:26). Today, the Word is a light that shines
on our path. Tomorrow, it will be a sword that flashes from
the mouth of Christ to destroy all who disobey Him.
Belong to a church that agrees with the Bible.a6 The Word
of God is given to correct and prevent false teachings in any
church. Consider some of the teachings today that contradict
the Word of God.
 ------*:--
-a .'e Seyen Churches-part 1
49

t
a A few conflicting Scriptures
, ...=lO,
Matt. 3:1 3-1 6; Acts 8:36-39 ; 10:47
t
Matt. 19:13-15; Mark 16;16;
: Acts 8:35-38; .18:8
. : ,., rg believers to take half of the
i .- Matt.26:26-29; 1 Cor. 11:23-26
i a-
Matr.28:19-20; 1 Cor. 11:23-26
:': Saplace"rff"
t Eph. 2:1-'10; Rom. 5:6-10;
i= pay for their sins by suffering.
: - - - .: ,,;ho tiu" in . Heb.9:27-28
--=.-epherd ot, Rom.8:12-14; t Coie+tr;R*. Zt.a
1 Tim.3:1-2; 4:3
: ... -ong to eat pork.
Rom. 14;14, 20;1 Cor.8:g; 1 Tim.4:3_4
.ad no sin, and we should pray to
'-, h"r.
Luke 1:47; Rom.3:23
t - :: -s ,,vas not God
in the flesh.
I John 1:'18; 14:9; Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:19
,=--scidnotdieonthecross. %
Matt. 27 :50; Acts 2:22-32
-.s-s s already tiuin
--=: iion has the ru Matt.24:23-31; 1 Thess. 4:13-1g
: :- ::-'e. Matt. 15:3, 6,8-9;
2 Tim. 3:16-17;2 pet. 1:16-21
Figure 3.23 False teachings that
tt e Bible
:sLrs told some religious teachers that
"ont.rOi"t
they erred because they
did not know the O 31 \ What are some
\' r'iLrres (Matt' 22:29). It is better to be
' )'- ilt Berea did (Acts 17:1 l). Then humble now and search the Scriptures like church teachings in your area
the word will be a lamp that helps us rather that contradict the Bible?
: .i p1fl that destroys us.
than

Co nclusion
Ii $'as wrong for believers to attend the feasts for idols and
eat the food offered
il'-lll' But Jesus gave overcofflers a promise about
.-''' a custom another feast. The Roman rulers
of giving white stones to the poor and to victors at contests.
These
' ires \\'ere an invitation to a special banquet. Likervise, Jesus promises
hidden lnanna and an invitation_to the wedding
to give
-:
"icomers Supper of the Larnb (Rev.
- 19:9). The white stone probably has a beriev".,,
name on it.a7
',"*,-h.uu"nty
;-.{;:itr}od}s\-de"{+i:,"".F"t!
(: _; Thya,lira: The church rhat Torerated Jezebel (Rev. 2:1g-29)
V G;i/lJdl;;nfy and iilustrate 3 attitudes toward evil.
Setting
The fourth message fi'om Jesus is to the church
. in *Thyatira. This was a small town
u*r,r. ri,r. i*..ug;;;J*#H,";:
1gng$I;m,!sgge,1o
longest 48 rr i"1^*
message to such a small forw. .oE lt is
iJnot quc
^-r,, *"^f]ffi,
not only . .
.a8It
cares about. He loves the least as much as
th,
the greatest.
"rirlfr"-ffiffiffifr l
..:.t..
Thyatira was r.vell known for the bronze weapons
_
'",us re\ ealcd Hirrrserf ro rhem it ,rade. Therefore,
as rhc king wirhrsir6;; t* ;ue porished
'r.ri-onze
(Rev. 2:l 8).
Thyatira was also famous for its purpre croth.
Recall that Lydia, from
Thr atira, was a dealcr in purple ctotn. rne
Lortl opened rrer hearl to the gospel
'ihr-, Paul preached in phiilipi (Acts l6:r4-r5). She believed in
.'i as Jesus and
baptizcd. Ma,y think that the church in Thyatira
starled in her home.
The purple dye in Tlryatira rvas made from
a root. peopre boired it in
''\ 3ter. Then they dipped the cloth into the purple
solution. After a time, they
Figure 3.24 Ruins of early Christian
church in Thyatira

50
O 32 \ Do You recognize
anything in which another
church or religion is doing
better than Your church?
whv?
a 33 ,.^ Whowerethe
leaders of the three grouPs in
Revelation who loved evil?
434 e} HowdidJezebel
influence believers at
Thyatira?
O 35 \ What are the main
reasons whY sinners You
know love evil?
Revelation & Daniel
\
Jesus will retutn wearing a I
removed the cloth that r,vas now purple in color. [n contrast, t
robe with its hem dippe<l in blood (Rev' 19:13' lsa'
63:1-3)'
other. Jesus praised Ephesus for
Ephesus and Thyatira could have leamed from each I
weak in this area' The Lord rebuked t
her strong hate of evil (Rev. 2:6). But Thyatira was
hand, Ephesus was weak in love'
Thyatira for tolerating iezebel (Rev. 2:20). On the other
Thyatira for her love' This stlong t
but Thyatira was strong rn this area. The Lord praised
(Rev. 2:19). The Greek word E
love for Christ led to ai increase in good deeds and service
deacons, and members' It
for service is cliakonia. This service is through church leaders, L
and foreigners' At
includes helping needy believers, the lost, the poor, otphans,-\vidows, F
Thyatira, faith rvas strong and active every day of the weeklae
another is weak' churches
Likewise, today, one church is often strong in an area that t
should leam from each other. Pastor Max Lucado pastors
a church of christ' He says !
prayer from the Pentecostals'
that he leamed about compassion from the Catholics, about
be slower to criticize each other I
and about grace fiom the Baptists.s0 Churches should
E
and quicker to leam frorn each other!
"son of God" (Rev'2:18)'Witheyes
ToThyatiraalone,JesusreferstoHirnself asthe E
(Rev' 2:18,23; cornpare with !
of fire He looked into the hearls and rninds of believers there
Jezebel' This is a good time
Dan. 10:6). The Son of God did not like their attitude toward
Let us look at three attitudes that
to summarize what the first four messages teach about sin' I
I
people can have toward evil.
A. Some love evil. I
reveals three who love evil (Rev' 2-3). Thelirsr group-X :
meet follows ffi* i"'ttt" rr"..lg.t 1"
, ,- l- +^ +;^A +tr^ lrrotc nT TnC
Pergamum (Rev. 2:6, 15). rhe Nicolaitans i*gll that
it is gool
-^ ^l t
evil i
l:
of Balaam in
T*$.t::: ?:i:
uqr (Rev :
flesh. The second
to idols and
2:14). Bffi"*it..Ttked to attend iinm parties' They ate I
committed sexual sins (Rev. 2:14)- :
The third grouP that loves evil is in ira. Here we discovsg
fe of Ahab' the most I
JUZVUVT , ,1 r :_- __ ^a
Ol1*,il
wiclied king of Israel (l Kings 16:33)' She was the daughtet
-opposed "t ",,*ttl,*,lttllT :
the ffue worship of God. She killed some of the
Sidon. This wicked *o*u,
worship of God and put
Lo.d,s prophets (1 Kings 18:4,-13). She wanted to root out the I
opposed God' She was killing I
in the idol worship of iaal. The Jezebel in Thyatira also
God's servants through her evil ways'
Jezebel's influence was seducing God's servants to
sin' Because of her teachings'
was a popular woman in the
believers were living like the children of the world' Jezebel
claimed to know Satan's deep
church at Thyatira. She called herself a prophetess and
secrets (Rev. 2:20, 2.4).Perhaps she taughithat we
learn Satan's secrets through sin'
.F{owever, God does not want us to know more about Satan's secrets or
about sin' Paul
desired believers to be wise about good things and
innocent about evil things (Rom'
good things' But He did not want
16:19). He wanted us to get a degree in the school of
us to pass the lowest grade in the school of evil things'
(1 cot'14:29)'Believers
Thosewhowere spiritual shouldhavejudgedJezebel'sprophecies
Scripture! But believers in Thyatira were
should reject any "prophecies" that contradict
appealed to the flesh!
acceptingthe prophecies of Jezebel. why? Because her teachings
People choose evil for various reasons'
o Some choose evil because they like the company on
the broad road' They love
These feel like it would be
father, mother, sister, brother, oi friends more than Jesus.
to be rejected by family
too lonely on the nalrow road to heaven. They are not willing
or friends. Jesus said these are not worthy of Him
(Matt. 10:37-38)' This group does
a
L
.' Churches-Paft 1
E1

D - : -;r rrnh'he who loses

a his rife finds it (Matt. 10:39). Like Esau, they care
.;- present (Gen. 25:29_34).
r '-
' -' :h
'le5s er il because of money. There were financial benefits
: --,r1rds in places rike Thyatira. There, choosi,g evil paid for those who
good wages.
'. 11"spre get money by rying, stearing, a,d
even-killing. otilers gain"by
" - -l:rniovers, custolrers, or on their taxes. For many, money
is a powerful
' ' "hoose evil' Balaarn is the leader of this group. He loved the wages of
- ' :, -r-<S rr pet. 2:r 5; Jude I 1). Achan
and Judas have many friends in thislroup
. -. i2:6).
.ri_rhn
| \ :r'1 choose evil because of pleasure. Sin is exciting
'"'' srtls make and fun, in the beginning.
the flesh feel good for a few minuter."Solo*o,
knew this. Nicolas
---- : rt. His followers fed the lusts of the ..If it
' \loses flesh. Their saying was, feels good,
refused to walk with sinners on this path. "He
chose to be mi.streated
'': ''tirlt the peopre of God rather than to enjoy the preasure.s o/ sin
: rHeb. 1 1:25). -for a srtort

' t )thers chooseevil because they are lazy. Resisting sin requires
:--i". 6:12). water efforl (Matt. 25:26;
runs easily down hill. Likewise, so,r. follo*
the path that is the
''1s:'st' They will never own the treasures that come from sweat, hard work, self-
:;:ritl. and self-discipline.

' :ome choose evil because they are rebels. These

despise submission. They do not
' 'rnt Jesus or anyone else to tell them what to do. They
want to be lord of their orvn
''' :s They want to have no limits on their freedom.r.
Sadly, these children of Satan
..1nk they are choosing freedom (1 John
3:10). Howeu.., th.y become the servants
- ipleasure (Titus 3:3), slaves of sin (John g:34),
captives of Satan (2 Tim. 2:26), and
:risoners of their own lusts (Rom. 6:16). in contrast,
whomever the Son sets free is
:ice rndeed (John 8:36)l
' others, perhaps ail ofthe above, choose sin because
they are deceived. As Satan
:eceived Eve, he deceives the whore world (r rim.
2:14; RLv. r2:9). Riches deceive
>rrrne (Matt. 13:22; r rim. 6:9). Farse teachers
deceive others (2 Tim.3:13). Even
':reachers deceive some
by teaching that sin wil not separate us fiorn
God.
Do not be deceived; lrleither the sexualll, immoral
nor iclolaters nor aclulterers
irttr mctle prostitutes_nor hontosexual olfenders tonor
thieves nor the greecly nor
:lrunkards nor slanderers nor swinrireis wiil inherit
the kingdom of God(r cor.
6:9-10; See also Rev. 2l:g).
' Finally' some are deceived by sin itserf (Rorr. 7: l 1;
'Do Heb. 3:r 3).
not be deceived; Gocr cqnnot be mocked. A man
reaps what he,so*,s.8The
one tvho sotvs to please his sinfut natttre,
fi"om that nature will reap destruction;
tlte one wlto sows to prease the spirit,
from the spirit wiil reap eternat ti/b.,)Let
tr's nor beconte w'eoty in doing goocr,
for at the priper time we wirr reap a horvest
if we do not give up (Gat.6:7_9).
None of us chooses to become sinners. we are
bom sinners with a fleshly nature.
\er eftheless, many choose to remain sinners. or to
return to sin (iohn 3:19-21).
Er.eryone who doe-s evil hates the light. And all
who hate the light hate God, for God
rs Iight (1 John 1:5). Those who love.ril
hut. God.
-\
stranger was amazed to see a group of pigs
foilowing a man. There was no one
-'ehind the pigs forcing thern. Yet they were chotsing
to foiiow a rran to the slaughter.
The stranger asked the-leader, "what is your
secret? why do the pigs follorv you to the
:1:ce they will die?" The leader srriled and shorved
''It's easy to lead them," the siranger a small bag of peanuts.
he said. "I just drop a few peanuts in the dirt
as I lead them
.,--, their death. They never
look up to see *h"r" they are going.,; Likewise,
those who
52 Revelation & Daniel I
I

clroose evil do not calculate tl,e price. "The wages of sin is

dectth" (Rom. 6:23).

B. Others tolerate evil.

Jesus is not happy lvith those who tolerate evil. Read
Revelation 2:14-16 to see what He had against believers at
Pergamum.
Liker.vise, the Lord was not pleased when believers at
Figure 3.25 Ruins of main street in Thyatira (located Thyatira allowed sin.
in the modern city of Akhisar, Turkey)
"iVevertheles,g, I have this against ),ou: You tolerate tltcrt
x,'ornan Jezebel, who calls herself o prophetess. By her teaching she rnisleads nn,
servunts into sexual imntnrality anclthe eating o./Jbod sacrificed to idol,s " (Rev.
2:20).
Only a parl of the church members at Pergamum and Thyatira followed Balaam,
Nicolas, or Jezebel. But all rvere guilty of not taking action against these false teachings.5r
It is not er-rough to refuse to sin. God expects believers to speak out against sin.
Eli was a priest who tolerated evil in the Lord's house (l Sam. 2:22-36). His sons,
Hophni and Phinehas, \\.ere priests. Eli heard that they were stealing offerings and
committing sexual acts rvith women in the ternple. E1i rebuked his sons, but he did
not remove them frorn office. God sent a prophet who asked Eli a question, "lThy dct
yott honor vour sons more thqn me?" (l Sarn.2:29). The prophet also promised that
God would judge Eli in three ways. Firsl, no one fiorn Eli's family could ever be a
priest again. Second, his two sons would die on the same day. Third, from that time
fonvard, every member of his family would die young in the prime of life. There would
never be an old man again in Eli's family line (l Sam. 2:30-34). God honors those who
honor Him. But He despises those who despise Him (l Sam. 2:30). Likewise, God was
upset rvith believers at Pergamum and Thyatira. Why? Because they tolerated sin among
God's people. God is always angry u,ith those who tolerate evil in His house.
O 36 why is God angry God was angry when the church at Corinth tolerated evil. A man in the church was
with those who tolerate evil in cornrnitting sexual sins. Paul wamed the Corinthians not to tolerate sin in the church.
^
the church?
He told them to put this sinning believer out of the church and hand him over to Satan
(1 Cor. 5:1-13). Why? Because sin is like yeast: it spreads!
6Don't knov: that a little veqst tr,orks through the v,hole batc'h of dotrgh? lGet
1'ou
rid of the old yeast that yott t?lq r- be a ne\) batch v'ithout ,yeast ( 1 Cor. 5:6-7).
Give sin an inch and it will take a yard. If you allow one rotten potato to stay in a bag
of potatoes, all will become rotten. One bad apple will spoil an entire ban'el of apples. If
a parent allows sin, it will spread to his children.
Q 37 \ What are some The church obeyed Paul and expelled the sinning believer. Later, this sinning believer
situations that could tempt a repented. Then Paul told them to welcome him back to the church (2 Cor. 2:5-11). The
church leader to tolerate evil?
believers at Corinth obeyed Paul. That is, they stopped tolerating evil in their midst. The
sin in the evil man did not spread alnong other believers, like yeast in dough. Also, the
sinner repented. God judges those rvho tolerate evil. But He blesses those who refuse to
tolerate sin in the church.

Q 38 \ What are some C. The righteous hate evil.

examples of things that
believers should hate The rnembers at Pergamum and Thyatira tolerated evil (Rer,. 2:14-15, 20). But the
where you live? Ephesians hated the evil that Pergamurn and Thyatira loved. "But ltou have this in ,votrr
.favor: You hote the proctices oJ the l'licolaitons, v'hich I also hale " (Rev. 2:6).
To love Cod. we must love what He loves and hate r.vhat He hates.
 . :-..^ Churches_parl 1
tra

''rl's a piece of candy over and over in his rnouth, it shows he likes
-
s
it.
>:rrits out something as soon as he tastes it,
it shows he llates it (Rev.
':" li tums an evil thought over ancl over in his rnilcl, it shows
a Ilerson
the
-.rres the thought. If a person hates a thought, he rvill
expel it frorn his
-r sit.t to be tempted by an evil thought. But it is
a sin to meditate on evil
- ' r;
oLl c..rilot prevent a bird fiom flying over your
head. But you can prevent
--:;- a nest in your hair. we should hate evil like u,e hate a snake, and flee

+ ir.i :hould hate evil for at least

I six reasons.
' ' th,ughts are like links of a chain. one leads to another. Therefore, the righteous O 39 What are 6
reasons why we should
;l , ^' . :.rke every trrought captive (2 cor. 10:5). They bri,g every thought to ^
hate evil?
.Iesus
- - -1Ne it kreel before Him. They rule over their thlughts-as a rider rules a horse.
, :Lride their thoughts as a rider guides a bicycle. bne goo,l thought leads
to
,l '"r' The thoughts we meditate on in privat. pror" wlrether
we love r.vhat Goil
r.: ,ltd hate what He hates.
' Hlting eril is a key to being anointed by God. God anointed
Jesus because Jesus
'.i -eood and hated ev|l. "You hat,e lctved righteousness qnc{ hated u*ickeclness;
. '':r.t'e God, 1'ottr God, has set
1,ou ctbove your contpa,ions bv anointing ):ou tt,ith
' - 'il o./'iq"' (Heb. 1:9). As we practice loving good and hating evil,
- the anointins!
. rlresence of God on us increases.
' Hating evil is a key to fellowship with God. "Do h+,ct
w,alk together
.;,. o,qr.eed to do so?,,(Amos 3:3). To walk with God, we *rr;;;r;; unless thet:
- :: lor.es and hate what He hates. God
,;1;;; ;;;;
hates evil (Rev. 2:6). He hates lying, stearing,
-.:eating, gossip, over-eating, slander, murder, divorce, ancr sexuar
sins. If we lor.,e
'. hat God hates, we fellowship w-ith Satan. ,,Gorl
is tight; in hint there is no dqrkness
-;: ,tll" (1 John 1:5). If we rvalk in the light, we havelellowship
with God and other
:c-lievers (l John l:6-7).
' Er il killed Christ and destroys people. Shall we
love or tolerate the sins that killed
-'ur Savior? God forbidl Shall we love or tolerate the sins that
divide families and
'irag people down to hell? Nol We will not love sinl We will not flirt with evil or
-rllou'it in our homes or churches! we refuse to read evil magazines
and books or be
-'rrrerrained by evil.
Sin is the devil's bait. A fisherman uses bait to cover
a hook. He seduces a fish
to bite the hook. Then he takes the fish to the fire.
Likewise, the devil uses various
sinful things to seduce people. Blessed is the person
who discerns that sin is the
devil's bait and hates it. ,,Hate evil, love good"-(Amos
5:15).
sin may cause the Lord to disciprine a beriever with sickness (Rev.
2:22_23;
John 5:14; 1 cor. 1l:30; ps. 1r9:67; Jonah 2).
Sometimes believers are sick when
::?L:1,:yI ?l*o;S:jy 3.:_tile_Enanhroditus, rrophimus, and rimothy
suffered from sickness (phil. 2:25-27;2Tim. 4:20; I Tim. i:23).
These men were not sick because of sin (Compare
John 9:l_3). But
when believers sin, God's rove requires Him to disciprin.
tt
Sometimes He uses sickness as a rod. "-.
Grace teaches us to say no to sin. Rementber often
rvhat grace
:eaches about living a holy rife as rve wait for
the Lord to retum. Read
Titus 2:11-14.
God searches the hearts and,rinds of His people. If you
have roved
rrr tolerated evil, repent. God forgives ancl creanses
those who repent
i_i Joir, 1 :9). Train yourserf to hate
evir. Then you wilr be ready when
ihe Lord comes to rapture His Crrurch that has
neither stain nor wrinkle
Eph. 5:27). Figure 3.26 Fallen columns along the main
street in Thyatira
Chapter 4:
Messages to the
Seven Churches-
Part 2
(Revelation 3)
lntroduction
'-".In550
B.C. *sardis was the capital city
of a great kingdom called Lydia (Ezek'
30:5; Jer. 46:9).* Cyrus, king of the Medes
and the Persians, wanted to conquer Sardis
because of its wealth. Sardis was the first
city to make gold and silver coins.l Figure 4.1 Ruins of temple to Artemis (Diana) in Sardis

Sardis looked impossible to conquer. It was on the side of a mountain. There were steep
cliffs on the sides
served as a gate to
of the city, like walli over 1500 teei 1+sl m) tall.2 At the top of these cliffs was a fort that
the city. Ly*. offered large rewards to anyone who could conquer this fort. One day one of Cyrus's soldiers
path to go get the helmet'
saw a helmet fall from the fort, down the mountain. He saw the guard use a secret
over the wall and
That night Cyrus's soldier led a group of men up the secret path to the fort. They climbed
watching! The Persians conquered Sardis that
openedihe gate. Everyone in thelort was sleeping. No one was
night. It is saia that Cyrus took $600 million worth of treasure from Sardis in 548 B.C.

O 1 \ What does the conquest of Sardls illustrate?

To the church at Sardis Jesus says, "Wake up!" Watch, or I will come like a thief in the
night! You will not
to stay alert and be ready for the
know when I am coming (Rev. 3:2-3). Even those who feel the safest need
coming of Christ. In this chapter, we will study a lot about the retum of the Lord.

Lessons:
Sardis: The Church With Dead People in the Pews (Rev' 3:1-6) '
Goal: Re/ate the probtem, solution, and promises of Sardis to believers today'

Philadelphia: The church of the open Door (Rev. 3:7-13)

Goal A: Analyze the open door, the hour of trial, and salvation in the Tributation' Explain how various views
of these affect believers todaY'
Goal B: Summarize 5 quesflons and answers related to the Rapture.

Laodicea: The church That was Neither Hot Nor Gold (Rev. 3:14'22)
to your
Goal: Analyze the condition of the church at Laodicea and the invitation of Christ. Apply these
context.
.6--..
C\=*w Key Words
Sardis hour of trial Post-Tribulation
Blessed Hope Rapture Second Coming

book of life Pre-Tribulation Laodicea

Philadelphia Mid-Tribulation

+ Do not confuse this kingdom with the small town of Lydda, east of Joppa (Acts 9:32-38).

56
-a
D
J
sardis: The chuririwtirr-oeici iedddiii ine iil;-|ii! i,i-d)'".::.ii:ir:\i
t
a
Goal: Relate the problem, solutio.n,. and promises of Sardrs fo believeri
.
today. s
..s\S\\N\-:ss:s\*\tsls:.-s!:- 5
:-:- - ^^g
Ia ' - the seven rnessages begins with a description of Jesus. The message to Sardis
' ' i' -'rrr "hint o 2 i what do the seven
who holds the seven spirits of Goct and the sevenslars
fpastorsl " (Rev. spirits andseyen sfars
It : ser.en spirits seem to represent different aspects of the H"i; ap;;;. I;r"1, represent?
1 - ' ' s to the Spirit that would anoint Jesus. There, tire Holy Spirit is described seven
-

--.r""" "\3VS'3 "The Spirit of the Lonnwill rest on him-thl Spirit of wisclom
'-;itclirtg, the ancl of
spir.it o.f coun,sel and ofpo**er, the spirit of knowredge
anct of thefeir
- ::)" (Isa. 1 1:2).
: Holy Spirit is crosely linked to the seven
churches and pastor.s (Rev. 1 :4; 3:r).
-
. ---nber 7 shows fullness, whoreness, and completeness.
Th. ,.r.n churches or
- ':irds represent the whole
' church. Likewise, the seven spirits represent the fullness
- :;:te ction of God, the Hory Spirit. tn Him we find alr that any church needs in
any
': '--r' -{s John said, we have all received of His fullness (John l:16). We will study
: :bout the sevenfold Spirit in Reveration 4:5 and 5:6. Arso,
we study about the Holy-
iI '- -: .n the Setting of chapter 6 of this course. Grace andpeace come to us from the
. :r. Holy Spirit, and Jesus (Rev. l:4_5).
p -:-'d is perfect and comprete. But He found the church at Sardis racking. Let
us
l ' -.-ier three parls in the message Jesus had for this fifth church.
a The problem
l:ere are three sides to the problem.
' The church at sardis was spirituaily dead. ,,you
hctve a reputotion o/ being alive, O 3 tn what way was
ir ore dead" (Rev. 3:1). The church at Sardis was like the town.
It was depending _oq the church af Sardr's like the
-:'r rcpuratiorr. Sardis was oncc a great and powcrlul city.
This was true*rr." 6v"i town?^Explain.
. : "cred it in 5'18 B.c. But itr Roman tirnes thJglory
nia left Sardis. Likewise, the glory
,r -:Ii rrost of the believers. once Sardis
was a heaithy, iiving church. But it died.
\ 1an1'did not discem that Sarclis was dead. They
still thought of tlie church
once as it O4 \ Are there any
-,: But like samson, they did not know trrat trre pres"n.. o-f God was churches in your area that
rnissing (Judg.
-itt. The choir was still singing, but the anointing was gone. The peopre were still are like Sardis? Explain.
' shrping' but only with useless rvords and not their
heaits. The teachers no longer
:':rt o'er the lost. The believers no longer gave offerings of
sacrifice. They prayld,
" lrL)t long enough to touch God. Ernotion,
desire, zeall and,enthusiasm
rvere in the
-: rrL-tery' The pot was still on the stove, but the
fire had gone out. The Spirit had left.
There is an old poem about a boat on a sea.a Dead
rnen *s rise
--i' i'rlrt of the rvater to pull the oars. Dead men raise
the sails
:r.r Sreer the boat. It sounds strange and funny. But
the church
''i Serdis rvas like this. people who were spiritualry
dead sat i,
1le\\,s and sang in the choir. Spiritually dead teachers and
-:.:.ons said kind words to a dead pastor. Irnagine itl A church
',,i. oldead people. What a wamingl Sardis is the proof
that
:-'iievers can die spiritually.
2. Their deeds were not complete (Rev. 3:2). Thev were
''' rlre rernple in their rorvn. This was a big buirdirig thar*
,.s 160 feet (49 rn) wide and 300 feer(91 rn,11ong.
It h;d 78
- .,i,.rr.r*s or pillars that were each 5g feet (l 7.i
n)tall. Two of Figure 4.2 Remaiirs of columns
at the temple of Diana in Sardis

57
58
O 5\ Do you finish what
you start?
O 6 ,} what do the difty
clothes represent?
O 7 .} what kilted the faith
of believers at Sardis?
OB \ Give2examplesof
things that killed the faith of
people you know.
Revelation & Daniel
these are still standing today (Figure 4.2).Bfi the temple was never finishedls It was
.a"l
Ilikewise, the deeds of church members at Sardis were incomplete. We would expect
this of people who were spiritually dead. They lost interest. They lacked the desire and
zeal to finish what they started. The force of love was not within them. They lost both
interest and energy. The passion and devotion of the Spirit was missing.
How about your deeds? Do you complete the commitments you make? Do you rely
on the powff of the Spirit in you to fulfill what He prompts you to begin?
3. They were walking around in dirty clothes! Jesus said there were only a few in
Sardis who had not soiled their clothes (Rev. 3:4). Jesus had given the believers in Sardis
clean, spiritual garments. But they had not kept them clean! Most of the church members
in Sardis wore dirty clothes.
23 says we should hate the clothing stained by diseased flesh. Various sicknesses
Jiude
affect a person's clothes. Leprosy and bleeding cause ugly spots and stains on garments.
The Bible compares sin to a sickness. A sickness may stain the clothes we wear on our
physical body. But sin stains our spiritual clothing. James tells us to keep ourselves
unstained by the world (James l:27). Paul tells us to take off the clothes that were for
our sinful nature. He compares these stained clothes to sexual sins, lust, impurity, anger,
rage, malice, and slander (Col. 3:5-9). Then He says to put on clothes worthy of our
new nature. He says we should clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness, patience, and love (Col. 3:10-14). Only a few in Sardis wore clean clothes.
Most of the church members were living sinful lives. Their spiritual garments were
stained by the sins of the flesh and the world.
Now we have come to the root of the problem. The church members at Sardis were
dead. But what killed them? The answer is clear. The sin that had soiled their clothes
had killed their relationship with God. "For if you live according to the siffil nature,
you will dle" (Rom. 8:13).
We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). But to continue with God we must
walk by faith. Without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb. 11:6). Sin is a deadly
enemy of faith. Worms or termites may slowly eat the roots and leaves of a plant until
the plant dies. Likewise, sin slowly kills faith.
Sin kills faith. Faith is confidence and trust in God. First John 3:21 says we have
confidence if our hearts do not condemn us. But when a believer sins, his heart or
conscience condemns him. The more a person sins, the more guilt he has. Living in sin
will finally kill all confidence and faith. Jesus said the son who lived in sin was dead
(Luke 15:24). Sin kills our faith and thus our relationship with God.
It is not possible to live in sin and have faith in God. The wages of sin is spiritual
death (Rom. 6:23;8:13). Those who live in sin are dead while they are still alive (1 Tim.
5:6). "If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do
not live by the truth" (1 John 1:6). But if we walk in the light, we have clean clothes. His
blood purifies us from all sin (1 John 1:7). Our faith is the victory that overcomes the
world (1 John 5:4).Let us protect it by saying no to sin and yes to the Holy Spirit.
Sin killed the spiritual life of believers at Sardis. It stained their garments and took
away their desire to complete good deeds. Sin put out the Spirit's fire. It left them with
only a past experience with God and a reputation for being spiritually alive. As a preacher
once said, "Sin will take you further than you want to go. It will keep you longer than
you want to stay. And it will cost you more than you want to pay." Still, Jesus had a
solution for them.
B. The solution
Jesus told the church members at Sardis three things.
Jili
ffiffi
1-
i:: -:e-q to the Seven Churches-Part 2 59
-
- He did not tell the church members at Sardis to give up; He told them to wake
a9 What does Jesus
- cl This reminds us of Paul's \ rords in Ephesians. "ll/oke up, O sleeper, rise.front the mean by "Wake up"?
-. ,i, itrttl Cltri.st tvill shine on r:ol! " (Eph. 5:14). In other rnords, Jesus was calling the
^
{ - ,.:';h to repent (Rev. 3:3). Repentance from sin is always the key to life. Those living
.n are facing away frotn the Father. To repent is to change one's mind and direction.
:.-pent is to tum from sin torvard God. Those at Sardis had compromised u,ith the
-- : .d. They rvere not facing persecution frorn the r,vorld. Why? Because they rvere of O10 \ Whattypesof
: 'r orld. The Spirit had 1ef1them, and they did not even realize it. The Lord calls them things can cause the stream
::alize their condition and repent. of the Spirit to stop flowing?
--
2 He said to strengthen what remained. How? By coming back to the altar and
- -.'rr inq help from God. They needed God's breath to make the dry bones live again.
D
Fieure 4.3 shorvs how some people grind their grain. They build a heavy
- ,.'du-n w'heel by a small stream. The force of the water causes the wheel to
.: .: . But the center of the wheel is connected to a large stone. As the wooden
-I ..-.-1 turns. it causes the stone to tum and grind the grain. Sometimes the
-:t-1' stops flowing. The stream gets clogged with dead trees and lirnbs.
-: '. :en the water stops, the rvheel stops. Then the owner does not try to turn the
:el by hirnself. Instead, he removes the things that are hindering the florv
. rhe rvater. Likervise, we need the flow of the Spirit to do good deeds for
- ::,.1. If the Spirit stops flowing in our lives, we need to remove the problem.
- - :ren the Spirit will flow through us again (John 7:38).

r- 3. He said to obey what they already knew. "Remember, thereJbre,

r! ')t'tt t'ott have rec:eit,ed and heard: obelt it" (Rev. 3:3). Those in Sardis did
: ,-',r need a new revelation. They had already heard all they needed to know.
-
rkeu,ise, many of us today do not need new truth. We only need to obey the
- Figure 4.3 Some people grind their
- :-,rth \\,e already knolv.
grain by using flowing water.
Jesus told them that if they did not repent, He would come and judge
- .eu-t. It is good for us to remember that Jesus is coming back. There is no greater
- r:r.olrragement to holiness and purity of life than the *Blessed Hope of Christ's return
O 11 \ Give an example
II I John 3:2-3).6 Here is a good test for any of us. How does the thought of His coming of a Scriptural truth you once
- :-,3ke me feel? Do I dread or welcome the retum of the Lord? When He says, "Behold, I forgot.
..,tt cotrting sootl," do I respond, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus' ' (Rev. 22:12,20)?

- C. The promises
- Notice that there are two promises in Revelation 3:5.
. Tire) rvill walk with me, dressed in white (Rev. 3:18 4:4;6:11;7:9,13; t9:8, l4).
- . I will never blot their names out of the book of life. but will acknorvledse them
-
before God and His angels.
-4 These promises were NOT to every church mernber. They were only for overcomers.
Clod did not approve of all of Gideon's amy. Out of 32.000 rnen He only chose 300 (Judg.
-: 1-8). Malachi thundered against the evils of his day. Did the people repent
and obey God?
- \lost of them did not repent. instead, they defended themselves. They said. "How have we
- sinr-red?" They denied that they had robbed God of tithes. But a few listened to Malachi.
Those rvho feared the Lord talked to each other. Their narres were written in a scroll (Mal.
-aa -r:6- 17). God ahvays has a
*remnant. Let us look at the two promises to the few.

1. Jesus says a few in Sardis will walk with Him, dressed in white. He said they a 12 why did God
-aa u'ere lvofthy to walk rvith Him because they had not stained their clothes rvith sin. refuse to walk with most
of the ^
church members at
On the one hand, none of us is worlh.v.
Sardls2
d . John the Baptist did not feel worthy to loosen the sandals of Jesus (Luke 3:161
4{l
John 1:27).
o The Roman centurion did not deserve for Jesus to come to his house (Matt. B:B).
{
{
 Revelation & Daniel
60

r We are all saved by grace. not because we deserve

it I
t
(Eptt. 2:8).
On the other hand. God recluires us to walk worthy
ctfter
I
He saves us. I
a li/e
As a prisoner.for the Lord' thett, I trrge yotr to live
*orihy of the colling r-ou ltat'e received (Eph' 4:1)'

Figure 4.4 Gymnasium in Sardis
Q 13 \ What does it mean
to tive worthY of God's grace?
O14 ) /sifPosslb/e
for a person's name to be
btotted out of the book of life?
Figure 4.5
Genter section of
gymnasium in Sardis
Antl w'e prav this in orcler that t'ott rnry- live a li/eworthy
of the iorct and mcrl' pleose ltim in evetl' \tQv: bearing
jruit in ever,v goocl tt'ork, grov'ing in the kno*'ledge of
God(Col. 1:10).
Encr,tt,rraging, com-/ortittg attcl urging ):ott to live
lives
wortlry if Coa, iho colls vrtu into his kingdom and
g/or-v' (1 Thess' 2: 12).
..Are you worthy to receive my grace?,, His question is,
God,s questiot] to us is not,
,,Will you r,valk worthy of ny grace after I freely give it to you?" God will severely judge
(Heb. 10:29). He will condemn those
those r.vho despise and insuit'the Spirit of grace
r,vhousegraceasacoattocoverrvillful,continuoussin(Rom'6:1-4)'
be stewards of that grace (1 Cor'
God,s parl is to save us by grace. But our parl is to
(Matt' 25:26-30)' A few believers
4:1-2.1 Pet. 4:10). God will pritr1 unf-aitht'ul stervards
the basis for being called worlhy
in Sardis rvere rvorthy because of choices they rnade' lf
then all in the church at Sardis would have been called
worlhy'
was the blood of Jesus,
2.Tothosewhoovercome,HepromisesthatHewillnotblottheirnamesoutof
His angels'
the *book of life. But He rvill acklorvleclge them before the Father and
(Rev. 3:5; 13:B; I 7:8; 20:12' I 5)'
The book of life is referred to fir,'e times in Revelation
The same book is also once callecl the Lamb's book of
iife (Rev' 21:27)'Thebook of life
Eternal life is only in Jesus Chflst
contains the names of those who receive etemal life'
has his name itr the book of life'
(1 John 5:12). Each person who has Jesus has life and
Those who tum arvay from christ tum away fi'otn
etemal life'*-At the hnal judgment' all
fire (Rev' 20:15)'
rvhose names are not in the book of life r.vili be thrown into the lake of
TheideaofabookwithnamesinrtisfirsttnentionedinExodus.
32,,Bti now, please.forgit,e llteir sitt-but if not, then blot nle out of the bookl'ott
,,Tire fono reptied to Mori,es, "LVhoever has sinned agoinst nte I
Itoye rrrittert.',
will blot ottt oJ'ntt' book" (Exod' 32:32-33)'
of His book'
Notice that sin can cause God to blot a person's name out
a criminal's name was removed
In John's day, each city had a list of citizens. when
a person can cease to be a
frorn the city's list, he iosi his rights as a citizen.T Likewise,
rvalk wofthy of God's grace' he
citizen of the kingdom of heaven. If a person does not
to the faithful' but subtracts
will lose it. This is the principle of use it or lose it. God adds
from the slothful (Matt. 13:12; 25:26-30)'
the book of iife? Yes' it is possible'
Is it possibie fbr a person's name to be blottecl ottt of
overcome' He does not give the
In Revelation, Jesus gives certain promises to those who
same promises to those who do not ovelcome.
Those wl-ro do not overcome will not receive
is clear from Revelation 21:7-8'
any of the promises Jesus gives to ovefcomers. This
1,,He wllo oyerconles tt,ill inherit all this, an.d I u,ill be his God and he will be
nT) son.
rBti the cov,ardb,, the tntbelieving, the t,ile, tlte rnurderers, the sexually
intrloral, tltose tyho prttctice magic ctrts, lhe idttlaters ctnd
all litrrs-their place
" (Rev' 2l:7-8)'
v,ill he in the fier.v lc,ie t / burnin! strlftrr. This is the secctncl deal&

* For a thorough discussion, read Life in the son by Robert Shank (Bethany House Publishers'
1 98e).
 ':i-.:i:,i :a the Seven Churches_part 2
nt

Thrrse u'ho are overcome by sin will go to hell, not heaven.

'icsus promised to acknowledge overcomers to the Father and His
angels. A1l c1o not A 15 \ Give 3 reasons
':'rr-onre . Some, like Lot's wife, staft the journey
away from sin but turn back to the why some believers are
'ic Some, like Hymencaus ancl Alexander, tum looie of the laith and blaspheme. overcome.
- :,rlaithendsuplikeawreckedship(1 Tim. r:rg-20).othersareonthejourneyto
-'' ' en until false teachers
' :: the faith (l rim. 4:1).kill their faith (2 Tim. 2:18). Demons seduce ,o*. to
Some, like the Galatians, fall from grace because
depart
: ':luals and rules (Gal. 5:4). Peter they trust
wams us about falling fr-om our secure position
- Per. 3: 17-18). Many in Sardis died spiritually because of lin.
The following verses show us that it is important
to continue with Christ. Starting the
-:-: jS not enough. paul
emphasized the need to finish the race (r Cor. 9:27).
O 16 \ What are some
we musr reasons a person can disown
' titrtre to confess Clrrist with our words and our actions. or deny Christ (2 Tim. 2:12)?
'' " ll'hoet'er acknov,/eclges me before men, I tt iil arso acknowlecrge him before nt1,
Fttther in heaven.lrBttl trltoever disotrns nte before
men, I will disov,n ltint before
,tt)' Father in heoven ', (Matt.
10:32-33; See Luke 9:26;12:8_9).
lf'we endure, w'e wiil arso reign v)ith him. If y,il
w.e crisctwn hint, he arso di,sotrn
us (2 Tirn. 2:12).

) Goal A: Analyze.the open door. the hour ot triit. ,na ,uu"tiin-iiir-ir,ortJtllon.

views of these affect believers today. ' "vs'e''v"' L
rxptain how various S
Goal B: Summarize 5 guesfibns and answers rerated
S
..-\-c.€-rr-c\ ! * Y--3 *F-*".s {--.4-d:;'"*;;€;-;"";';-;-;-. to the Rapture. s
ns i *x { *&*&:&"q s _ *$.
Setting
xPhiladelphia
sufTered many titnes from earthquakes. As
the ground shook frorn
'r'-se quakes, great buildings and homes crashed to the ground.
The Roman Caesars
-j'r\ e money to help rebuild the city. After this the citizens-named their city to honor the
Rotnan caesars, their saviors. The new name
for Philadelphia became New caesarea. As
'tre passed, the name of the city retumed to the old name of philadelphia.
In contrast,
God will write His name on believers in the new
heavenly city. we will display the narne
-'l our Savior in a perma,ent city (Rev. 3:r2). No ear-thquake
will ever harm it.s
Philadelphia rleans "the city of brotherly love.,,e
However, the Jews of the synagogue
hc're did not show love to the tbllowers
of Jesus. It appears that they slandered the
:elievers' Then they closed the door of the synagogue
to them. Thus there rvas a strong
'-otlflict between the Jews of the synagogue and the Jews in the church.r0 Jews who
:-u'jected christ were enemies of christiunr.
rn" Jews of the synagogue craimed to be
God's chosen people. They said that christians were
blasphemers and that God clid not
lo'e them (Rev. 3:9). philaderphia was reaily the city r*r.irg
i."rherly rove.
The Bible makes it clear that there are true .Tervs
and false Jews, we saw this when we
srudied the message to Smyma. There Jesus
said, "r know, the sroncrer oJ.tho.se who say thet;
.tre Jetvs qnd are nor, but at'e a st)nagogue
o/ sutcrn,,(Rev. 2:9). Like#r.,-i" nnr[a.ir,rr;,
Jesus says that He k,ows those who say
tiey are Jews, but are not. Rather, they are of
the synagogue of Satan (Rev. 3;9). A true Jew
or child of Abraham is one with a pure
heart (Ror-n' 2:28-29; Gal. 6:ll-16). Jesus promises
to identify those He has chosen. He
assures the believers that He will force the false
Jews to confess that God loves believers at
Philadelphia (Rev. 3:9). Let us look at five rruths
related to the philadelphia Christia*s.
A. No one can shut a doorthat God opens.
The church at phiraderphia,
Iike Smyrna, did not receive any rebuke from
Jesus. The Figure 4,6 Ruins
Lord reveals Himserf to the philadelpliia believers
as the one rvith rh" k.r,;-rbr;;. of an old church in
The background of the key of Davicl is Isaiah Philadelphia
22:22. The fre_y o/ Davict ernphasizes that
 Revelation & Daniel
62

Jesus has comPlete a shut. The local Jews had shut the door to the
synagogue in Phi But Jesus had oPened the
. 3:7). Enernies of God may close earthly doors to believers'
But Jesus
openstousthedoorsofheavenandtheNewJerusalem(Rev'3:12)'
to be the open door
O 17 ,^
With what does In Revelation 4:1, John saw an open door in heaven. This seems
Jesus emphasized to the Philadelphia church (Rev. 3:8).
The open door in heaven is a
John contrast the closed
synagogue door? contrast to a time of trials on earth.
can shut' The
Likewise, there are doors on earth that God opens and no human
(Acts 18:1-17)' In court there, he
enemies of Paul could not stop his ministry in Corinth
not close the door God
was silent. But the judge refused to help his enemies. They could
opened. Likewise, 4olen tried to close the door on Paul',s
life, but God kept it open
O18 \ Whataresome
that an adult wants open' No
examples of things that onlY (Acts 23:12-23). No number of babies can close a door
Believers should
God can oPen? number of humans or demons can close a door that God wants open.
that God opens'
not worry about doors that humans close. We should focus on doors

O 19 ,^What is another B. Revelation 3:10 refers to an 'nhour of trial'"

It is one of
name for the hour of trial in The *hour of ffial is the Tribulation. Read the following verse carefully'
Revelation 3:10?
the most important verses in Revelation'
,,since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep youfrom

the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world
to test those who live
on the earth" (Rev. 3:10).
period called the
Revelation 3:10 tells of an hour of trial. Let us look closely at this
Tribulation.
The Bible prophesies that a terrible time is coming. Consider the
following passages
that predict this period of severe trouble'
o 2t "For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world
22If those days had not been cut short,
until now-and never to ie equaled again.
no one would survive, but .foi the suie of the elect those days will be
shortened"
(Matt. 24:21-22).
o "There wilt be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning
of
nations until then" (Dan' 12:1). sThis is what the
o a,'These are the *oid, the Lono spoke concerning Israel and Jtdah:
a man bear
Lono says: 'Cries offear are heird-terror, not peace.6Ask and see: Can
stomach like a
children? Wten wiy do I see every strong man with his hands on his
lHow awful that day will be! None
woman in labor, eiery frre turnei:d deathly pale?
of it"'
will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out
(Jer. 30:4-7).
But several
How long is this hour of trial? "The Scripture does not clearly say'""
length of the Tribulation
verses suggest a period of 7 years. We will study more about the
when we come to chapter 7, lesson 1: Daniel's 70 Weeks'

G. The Tribulation will be a hard time to find salvation.

a 20 ) What are some
reasons it will be harder to be
saved in the Tribulation than
now?
Today is
It wi1l be possible, but very difficult, to be saved during the Tribulation'
following Jesus
the day of salvation (Heb. 3:7, 13, 15; 4:7).Today, in many countries,
does not bring persecution. But tomolrow, in the Tribulation,
following Christ will bring
persecution, difficulties, and death. Those who refuse the mark of the beast will not be
today, will people
uul" to buy or sell (Rev. 13:16-17). If it is too hard to submit to christ
submit tomorrow when it willbe harder?
who die
Many plan to serve Christ tomorrow. But tomorrow never comes to those
half of the people
today. Tkough the plagues in the Tribulation, death will surprise about
to be saved
o, earth. Delay is the shovel that digs opporfunity's grave' It is always better
today than to wait until tomorrow.
 63

I Trials make some bitter.

'-; poured out plagues on Egypt. pharaoh
.-',' ,-1nce (Erod. 8:15,32; 9:34). GodThese plagues did not lead to lasting
hardened pharaoh,s hearl through the plaguei
O 21 What are some
verses in Revelation that
- : 9:11: 10:7,20,27; ll:10; 14:B; Rorn. 9:16_18). Theplaguespreparedpharaoh ^ will make some
show trials
':- :lrcat judgment at the Red Sea. Likewise, the plagues in Revelation bifter?
will harden
' , --.rrts of some sinners.

Rev. Discouraging verses showing that many wi[ not be saved in tt

"
t.iIiGGf
llooked,andtherebeforemewasapalehorse!ltsriderwasnamedD"
a3 him' They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kitl by sword,
famine and ptague, and by the witdbeasfs
of the earth.
::'1 1 A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from tn" iffi.
And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very h
9:15
a third of mankind.
20Therestofmankindthatwerenotkittedbythesep/agues"tittaiano,t
idoty or o.9td, sitver,'brinze, stone ani iioa-iaots
:!?l:::Yy:?^!?:":":.11d that cannot see or hear or watk.
ii,,,iii,,ii"i, iZiJ
1 '1
:10
Theinhabitantsoftheearthwitlgloatoverthemandwittcetebrateov"
prophets had tormented those who live on the earth.
The whole world was astonished and foilowed the beast.

13:8
Allinhabitantsoftheearthwittworshipthebeast-allwhosenan.teS
belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the
wortd.
They were seared by the intense heat and they cursed the
b:9 name of GoJ, who had control overthese plagues, but
they refused to repent and glorify him
loMen gnawed
'6:10-11 their tongues in agony 11and cursed the God of heaven because
of their pains and their sores, but
they refused to repent of what they had done.

16:21
Fromtheskyhugehailstonesofaboutahundredpoundseachr"ttupo
the plague of hail.
Figure4'7VersesinRevelationshowingthatmanvwiltnotbm

E. Trials make some better.

The plagues in Egypt did not harden the hearts of all Egyptians.
Many Egyptians a 22 .} What passages in
respected Moses and feared the word of the Lord (Exod. g:zu,'io:l;11:3;
l2s{i.t turry Revelation show that a great
Eglptians left Egypt with the Israelites (Exod. 12:38). The plagues group will be saved through
convinced them that
Israel worshiped the true God. Likewise, the plagues in h.e,Ieution the Tribulation?
will cause some
to tum to God (Rev. 1l:13). The same sun that bakes clay melts
wax. Likewise, the
Tribulation will drive some farther from God. But it will bring
others closer to Him. The
chart that follows shows that the Tribulation will make somJbetter.

Encouraging verses showing some wiil be

1a,,Howlong,SovereignLord'hotyandtrue,untilyoujudgethei,nunnun,
"rr"o
ttr.orttitr"iriuGlfi
yi!
.1
6:10-1
""*;;;" ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;"re
','::?,r^y:r:^,:!0..,." ,',\le t3nser, untit the number of iheir felow
?
they had been was completed. to be kiled as
9agreatmultitude.'.1awhohavecomeoutofthegreattributation;tn"y
7:9-14
white in the blood of the Lamb.
"And I will give power to'my two witnesses, and they
*itt propn""yii,zao aryJ,
(These two prophesy for the purpose of trying to help
sinners.)
1'1:13
Seventhousandpeopleyv-erekiltedintheearthquake,andthesuruivors
hryy9! (Some changed their attitudes
)

Continued on next page

o4 Revelation & Daniel

Continued from previous page

I
Rev. Encouraging verses showing some will be saved through the Tribulation I
"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so
12:11
much as to shrink from death."
lf anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he wilt go. lf anyone ls fo be killed with the sword, with the sword he
13:10
witt be kilted. This catls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
14:3-4 3No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.4 ... They were purchased
from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb.
See also
7:1-8 (Firstfruits implies many others will follow. See Romans 16:5.)

Then saw another angel ftying in midair, and he had the eternal gospe/ to proclaim to those who live on the
t
14:6 earth-to every nation, tribe, language and people.
(God wants everyone to have the chance to call on His name.)
s"lf anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too,
14:9-12 will drink of the wine of God's fury." . ..12This cal/s for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's
commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
'3lessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes, " says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for
14:13
their deeds will follow them."
The Spirit and the bride say, "Comel" And tet him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and
22:17
whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Figure 4.8 Verses in Revelation showing that some will be saved through the Tribulation

We have looked at some verses on the Tribulation or hour of trlal. Most of Revelation
6-18 is about the Tribulation period. Review the chart in Figure 2.2.We will study a lot
more about these 7 terrible years. But where will the Church be during this time? This
brings us to the topic of the Rapture. We will study it in the next lesson.

F. Five questions and answers about the Rapture

Q 23 \ Why do you think Setting. Jesus promised to keep believers at Philadelphia from a terrible time of
the promise of Revelation tribulation. Recall His promise to them. "Since you have kept my command to endure
3:10 can be for believers patiently, I will also keep youfrom the hour of trial that is going to come upon the v,hole
today?
world to test those who live on the earth " (Rev. 3:10).
As we have said, the seven messages in Revelation give
us a complete message to the Church. What He hates in one
church He hates in all. What He promises to one church, He
promises to all. Many Bible teachers believe that Revelation
3:10 is God's promise to rapture the Church before the
Tribulation. Jesus told the church at Philadelphia that He had
set an open door before them (Rev. 3:8). As the Tribulation
comes, we expect to escape through that open door (Rev- 4:1;
Luke 21:36).
The *Rapture is the event in which Christ will suddenly lift
all believers to meet Him in the air. Some believe in a partial
Rapture. That is, they say that only the most spiritual believers
wi1l be caught up. However, John does not distinguish between
more spiritual and less spiritual believers. The only believers
John recognizes are the overcomers. All who have Christ and
are in Christ will go up in the Rapture. Sometimes, God calls us
to repent. In these times it is important for us to hear and obey
what the Spirit says to us. Those who refuse to be led by the
Spirit refuse to be God's children (Rom. 8:14). As we walk in
the Spirit we remain in Christ and are ready to meet Him. Let
Figure 4.9 Old foundations in Philadelphia
us study five questions and answers related to the Rapture.
 - , ::_ris to the Seven Churches_part 2
65

t
I
' 'What are some Bible verses that teach the Rapture? The word,
Rapturecomes from
- - -':itr votd Rupttts. It means "to catch up" or snatch up as an eagle snatches up its prey. a24 Who wittgo up in
the Rapture?
''''),sroptllred,orcoughtup,tothethirdheaven(2 ^
: Cor.l2:2).TheGreekwordforRapture
I .
- '!.(t:o. Several verses in the New Testament refer to the catching ttp of the sailts.12
Fttt'tlte Lord himselfv,ill come dov,n.frorn heaven, with a loud comnrund, with
the
I tce of the archangel and with the trurnpet calt of Goct, and the
I cleacl in Christ will
'.'e./ir'.st. "rlftn, that, we v,ho ore still alive ond ar.e teft wiil be caught
up together
:tlt tlrem in lhe clouds to meet the LorrJ in the ait'. And so *-e will be with
the Lorrl
I ' tt't|er. lsTherefore encourqge eqch other with tltese words (l
I Thess. 4:16-lg).
C'ottcerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ qnd our being gatherecl
to
',int, v,e ask vou, brothers,2not to becorne easily unsettled or
alarmed by some
:'r-ophecy, report or letter supposed to hqve comefr.om us, saving
that the doy qf
:iie Lord has already come (2 Thess. 2:l-2).
- 'Tvo nten v'ill be in atTwo
theJield; one will be token and the other left. women u,ill
:
t gt'inding wirh a hanl mill; ottc will be raken and the orher. l<ii.' iuun.24:40_411.
,
I tellyou, on that night fiuo people will be in one bed; one u-ill be taken ancl the
t etrlter leJi" (Luke 17:34).
""There will be signs in the sun, rnoon ancl stors. On the eqrth, nations will
I he in anguish and perplexis at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26Men
I
will
litint fi'om terror, apprehensive of v,rtat is conting on thi world, ,enht
for the hec
bodies v'ill be shctken " ...3a "8e carefitl, or
),our hearts will be weighecl clotyn wiih
tlissipation (.sin), drunkenness and the anxieties of ttfe, crncl thot day
j5For
will close on
.\.ott t'tnexpectedly like a h'ap. it will corne trpon all those n*ho live on the./Ltce
o.f rhe whole earth. 36Be elyvays on the v,qtch, ctnd prolt
that you may be obtle to
e.\cape all that is about ro happen, ctnd that ttou may be able
to stand before the
Son of Man " (Luke 2t:25-26,34-36).
2' What are three different views on the Rapture? Passages like 1 Thessalonians
O 25 ,^ Explain 3 views on
I I plainly teach the Rapture. Believers will be caught up to meet Christ
6- 1 B
in the air. the time of the Rapture.
But rvhen will the Rapture occur? The diagrarn in Figure 4.l0 shows
the Rapture taking
rlace before the Tribulation. However, sorre Bible teachers think the
Rapture will occur
:n the middle of the Tribulation or after it. Let us examine these
tluee theories or views.
First is the *Pre-Tribulation (Pre-Trib) view of the Rapture. pre means ..before.,,
Thus the Pre-Trib position states that Jesus will lift us to be with
Him be.forethe 7 years
of trials. The book you are studying teaches that the pre-Trib position
is corect.
Second isthe *Mid-Tribulation (Mid-Trib) theory. This view teaches
that the Rapfure
$ il1 occur in the rniddle of Daniel's seventieth week. The
last half of the Tribulation is
the worst. Recall that the Antichrist breaks the covenant with
Israel after 31/zyears. The
\lid-Trib theory says the church leaves before the final 1,260 days of wrath 6egin.
Third is the *Post-Tribulation (post-Trib) view. premeans .,before,,,
butpos/ means
"after. " The Post-Trib theory
teaches that Jesus will not return until after the Tribulation.
Tirus, this view teaches that the church must pass through the Tribulation.
Post-Trib people say 2 Thessalonians 2: I -4 puts the Rapture and Second
Corning together.
But Pre-Trib people see fivo separate events in this passage. We believe ,:out:
that being
gathered to him" refers to the Rapture (2 Thess. 2:1). Paul iefers
to the Second Coming a"s
"rhe day oJ'the Lord" (2
Thess. 2:2) and, "that da1t" (2 Thess. 2:3). The Thessalonian.
confused about the Rapture and the Second Coming. They were
*..
afraid flrey had rnissed the
Rapture (2 Thess. 2:2). Paul rerninded thern that the Anticlrist must
rule before the second
conring of Christ to earth (2 Thess. 2:3-4:). But something is preventing
the Antichrist frorn
ruling now (2 Thess. 2:6). We believe that tl,e force holding back the
Antichrist is the power
of the Spirit through the church. After the Rapture, the spiritual power,
prayers, and godly
 Tri o belier trS \\.r-re argLring at a r.\ ri a1 rleeting. The ta11er believer looked angr)'.
J
I His tace becarle red as he shouted. "\-ou are \\rong about the book of Revelation. Ar-rd
u'hen I sa)'\olt are \\rong. you rl/'e u'rong!'^ The angry believer rnay have been right
abor-rt Revelation. But hc s as \\-rons in the rvay he treated his brother. In the parable of
the sheep and the goats. Jesus emphasized one truth several times. That is, He lives in
the least of our brothers (Matt. 25:31-46). We should ahvays speak the truth (and our
opinions about the truth) in iove (Eph. 4:15).
We will study rnore about the time of the Rapture in the first lesson of the next
chapter. For now, let us turn our thoughts toward the last of the seven churches. Were
the Christians at Laodicea ready for the Rapture? Let us see.

: R*:

A\
, N
Laodicea: The Church That Was Neither Hot Nor Cold (Rev.
d-. - \- "F",\
3:14-221 !$:

S
5?
'-{ Goal Analyze the condition of the church at Laodicea and the invitation of Christ. Appty fhese fo four .$
context. -*' -:'a ;$
Setting
Two important business roads met in *Laodicea. One road started in Ephesus, by the
sea. Traveling east, a percon reached Laodicea after about 1 00 miles ( 1 6 1 km). The other
road began at Pergamum, the capital of the Roman Province. This road went southeast
Astn
for over 100 miles (161 km) to Laodicea. Notice that five of the seven churches to
c? !.gr.n;$...' which John wrote are in order along this road. These five churches are Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Today, Laodicea is the modern city of
^ 2 \=utu'= Eski-hisar.re*
B s *r*l''.q.,
l*--1'\-----i i ia
raderp h

r Laodicea
/ r.J tpnesus The city was well known for its business. People there wove and sold a famous, long
e o-"i
"*oro outer garment called a tunic. Farming and banking were also profitable in Laodicea. The
'ATt4os'o- city was also famous for making a medicine to help heal eye diseases. Laodicea was the
Figure 4.11 Map wealthiest city in the province of Phrygia. In A.D. 60 an earthquake destroyed the city.
showing that two But its citizens were so rich that they rebuilt without any help from Caesar.2o
important trade roads There was no source of water in Laodicea. The location of the city was based on the
met in Laodicea
roads, not water. Therefore, water was brought in from hot springs that were six miles
(9.7 km) south. The water flowed in a v-shaped stone trough called an *aqueduct. This
stone trough was held up off the ground by stone arches that supported it. The water was
hot at the springs. But it was lukewarm when it reached Laodicea!2l"
O 31 ,^ How were the
believers at Laodicea like their The message Jesus gave Laodicea is closely connected to the history of the city.
water?
A. The condition of the church
We will look at four aspects of Laodicea's condition.
t. I-!gv,=ysr"_-19!1"**-qtm. The hot wate-{- s+Lr:lgl *j:t
Hierapolis, 6 rniles south of Laodicea, were_,[qqw4 fo_r-
provi din g me di c al tr9!n !_1\.e=wis9-' .g o qlyler- refre she_s t!1e-
rveary. TEsfi wished iirat the lelievers at L-aridi6ba werij either
like the hot springs or a cold cup of water. But they were
Figure 4.12 Stone arches that held up part of an neither irot nor colci-tliey were lukewarm.
aqueduct in Laodicea

* Paul also wrote to the Colossians who lived about 10 miles west. Colossians 4:16 refers to the
church at Laodicea.
-I - : s:tes to the Seven Churches-Parl 2 69

-a The believers at Laodicea were once hot with spiritual fervor. However, as time
',:>id. their love changed from hot to lukewann. They became like the water in their
' ' r. It u'as hot when it first left the hot springs. But by tl-re time it reached the town, it
:
a ,,. lttkervam. Perhaps it rvas business concems that caused the believers at Laodicea to
- ,..r1re lukew'am. This city rvas famous for its business and wealth. Maybe the concem
D :' :.rches choked out the spiritual life within thern (Matt. 13:22).
a
\\.hat r.r,ere these lukewarrn believers like'l a 32 r^ Describe the
. They did not oppose Jesus, but they did not draw near to Hirn. condition of lukewarm
I
a
o Sometimes they attended church, other tirnes they stayed home. believers.
o Sometimes they paid tithes, other times they just counted their money.
o Once in a while they prayed, but most of the tirne they played.
I
I . They had a fonn of godliness, but they lacked the power of God. a 33 \ Why are lukewarm
. They r,vere not too bad, and not too good. No one accused them of being too believers you know a
spiritual. problem?
t
I . They were like 1he dog rvho sat by the hay. He would not eat the hay. But he
prevented the cow,s from eating it. - *****ds*<ss\seNs.N

I 2. They were full of confidence in themselves. But

I
.:ir confession did not rnatch their conditionl Lukeu,arm
::ije r ers are a problem. The lukewarm feel no need for God.
t
I . :r are the opposite of the poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3). They
-:1 no appetite for spiritual things. Thus they do not hunger
.,: J thirst after righteousness (Matt. 5:6). Like Peter, they
tI .rst ir.r themselves. Peter boasted, "Ev-€t1 if'ull .fall qu)oy on
. - -otttlt o.f you, I ney,er y,ill" (Matt. 26:33). Likewise, these
a .':rrud believers at Laodicea boasted that thev did not need
I .,.-r thing.

Lukewarm believers are a great sturnbling block to the

I
t st, These Sunday morning hypocrites pretend to love Jesus.
: :Lrs they hinder the work of Christ more than sinners outside Figure 4.13
.,.- church do. How rnany sinners refuse to corle to church Ruins of a small theater at Laodicea
I
t rJ.ause of lukewann Christians? Jesus loves the lost rvhom the lukewann discourage
.l...rll comirtg to Hirn. As believers, we rrrust guard against becoming lukewann. What is Q 34 What is the key to
being spiritually hot instead of
I ,..- key'7 The water in Laodicea was hot at its source. The fur-ther it got from its source,
lukewarm?
I e cooler it became. Christian, stay near the source of your spiritual life. If you are
--littng lukewarm, move closer to Jesusl We must not be like Peter rvhen he fbllowed A 35 ) Laodicea was
a
|l - -rrist from a distance (Matt. 26:58). We should irnitate John who got as close to Jesus famous for business, cloth,
.,: possible (John 13:23). and eye medicine. Contrast
these with their spiritual
, 3. They were unaware of how Jesus saw them. These lukewarm believers boasted. condition.
a :rat they w.ere rich and needed nothing (Rev. 3:17). But Jesus said they were-Sliaileful,
.i
:riserable, poor, blind, and nakedl (what would people in a church do if their pastor i; j
I -"'-=F-"'\
a .:lked this way to them?) Consider the irony of this situation. Theie belier,'ers had lots O 36 \ What happens in
I
'i tnoney, but were poor spiritually. Their city was famous for the gannentS it wove; but your culture when a person
.ltev rvere spiritually naked. Laodicea was well known for the eye rnedicine it made, but tel/s his own story about
a himself?
:r.-se believers were blind!
I
others do not always see us as we see ourselves. An old proverb says, "when a
I :r-rson tells his own story, he always makes a hero of himself." But sometimes we are
) iku' the tnan rvho had bad breath and did not knor,v it. However, those near hirn knelv it!
i: is good for us tojudge ourselves. Still, a person is not innocentjust because his or her
, .rrrrsciellce is clear (1 Cor. 41).It is the Lord's opinion of us that rea1ly matters. God's O 37 \ What do the
I \\ ord is like a rnirror (James l:22-25). He invites us to look at ourselves in it. Then we warnings to the five
churches teach us about our
. rn j trdge ourselves by His standards. Likewise, the Holy Spirit searches our hearls and relationship with Christ?
I
I
 Revelation & Dante'
70

to us I
mincls. But we have the choice of submitting to Hir-n rvhen He speaks I
(Rev. 2:23,29).
4. They were in danger of losing their salvation' Five of the seven
churches in Revelation were in danger. If they did not change, Christ
would
be their enerly, rather than their Savior and friend'
o Jesus warned Ephesus that He would take away their lampstand if
believers did not repent (Rev. 2:5).
o He u.amed Pergamum that He would fight against thetn with the
srvord of His mouth if they did not change (Rev' 2:16)'
o He rvamed Thyatira of harsh suffering if they did not stop following
Jezebel (Rev. 2:22).
o He rvamed Sardis that He would cotne like a thief and
judge them if
they did not r.vake uP (Rev. 3:3).
He r,vamed Laoclicea that He u,ould spit them out of His mouth if
o
they did not repent (Rev. 3: 16).
Figure 4.14 Ruins at Laodicea
The believers of John's day lived in great spiritual danger. Without
"prow'ls
A 38 \ WhY do You think repentance rnany rvould lose their relationship with Christ' Our enemy, Satan,
that Revelation 3:22 occurs qrottnd like ct roaring lion loofting Jbr someone to clet:our" (1 Pet. 5:8). When the
great
seven times in Revelation Lordwams, we shoul,lpay attention. "Hot| shall.we escope if v'e ignore such a
2-3?
salvation? " (Heb. 2:3).
B. The invitation of Christ
Notice three things in the invitation of Jesus'
O 39 Why does the Lord 1. He invited them to repent. " Those tyltont I love I rebuke and discipline' So be
earnest, and repent" (Rev.3:19). Jesus was very direct. He did not circle
rebuke and disciPline His around the
^ a rebuke. But His
children?
mountain. He had no praise for the church at Laociicea, only sharp
rebuke came from a hearl of love.
Sorne think that love cannot correct and give discipline. There are
parents who say
they do not discipline their children because they love thetn too much' But
this is not
true. 7\ lack of discipline comes from a lack of love. Where there is enough love' there
wil1be discipline. Read Hebrewes 12:5-6, 11'
God uses tears of repentance to cleanse our souls. Blessed ore tho'se t'hrt
" mourn' .for
A 40 \ Explain the
and repent' Any
proverb: Welcome a wound thel, will be com.fbrte,,/;'1Matt. 5:4). When He rebukes us, let us kleel
from a friend more than a kiss give thanks' Welcome a wound
rebuke from God is a time for us to show humility and
from an enemY.
from a friend more than a kiss from all enemy (Prov' 27:6)'
2. He invited them to get everything they needed from Him. He offered tl,em true
spiritual riches, white clothes, and eye salve (Rev' 3:lB)'
He invites us to trust in Hirn instead of ourselves. Recall Paul's words
about
Likewise,
in Christ'
Israel. He says they did not know the righteousness that comes from trusting
to the
Instead, tl.reysought to establish their own righteousness. Thus they did not subrnit
trusting in
righteousness thal is God's (Rom. l0:2-4). Each person must choose between
himself ancl receiving Jesus as Savior. In Hirn we are complete'
Yotr are in Christ Je,sus, tt,ho has become.for u.s tyisdom /rom God-that
is, otrr
"Let
righteotrsnes,s, holiness and redentptirttt. Therefore, as it i's v'ritten:
3r hint
v,lto boasts boost in the Lord" (1 Cor. 1:30-3 1)'
points
A man stood at the gates of heaven. An angel told the man he needed 10,000
"that
to enter. The man respondecl, "We11, I attended church." "Good," said the angel,
is worth five points."-The man u.as shocketJ. He wondered how he would ever
reach
A 41 i\ What is fhe /esson
the total of 10,000 points needed to enter heaven' "We11," the man continued,
"I did not
in the itlustration about 10,000 myself'" "Good," said the angel'
points? stea1, or kill. I tried to do right and love my neighbor as
'.':-.sages to the Seven Churches-Part 2

'That rs u'orth another five points."

The man was desperate. If these good deeds were
'',lrrth so little, horv would he ever reach the total? Suddenly, his thoughts tumed frorn
r. oun good deeds to Calvary. In a cheerful voice he said, "I received Jesus Christ as
::-.r Savior." "wonderful," replied the angel. "That is rvofih 10,000 points! Enter into
-re jo,vs of heaven." Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). "He w,hr: has
'':: Srtrt ha's life. [But] /ie who does not have the Son of God does not
l.tave life" (l John
< Ll).

3. He invited them to open the door and let Him in (Rev. 3:20). Jesus was on the Q 42 \ What are some
'-rtside. How terrible! His place is to sit on the throne inside each believer. But He had ways Jesus knocks at the
:r-en pushed out of the church at Laodicea! He was standing outside, klocking. doors of people you know?
Horv does Jesus knock? He knocks through the Holy Spirit in church services. He
\nocks through His Word. He knocks through the witness of believers. He knocks
-i,rough the beauty of His creation and the soft wind that blorvs. He knocks through
:1:.- building that people know is His house. He knocks through the songs that
believers
.ins. He knocks when a baby is born into a home. He knocks when a loved one dies. He
.ttocks through every blessing He sends. He knocks through His goodness and kindness.
Do \.ou hear Him when He knocks?
\{artin Luther had a great testimony. He said that before his conversion, he ruled his
'-'ri 1ife. If you had knocked at the door of his heart, you would have found that Martin
n
Lr-rther lived there. Inside, you would have seen that his pillow was two stone tablets
.'i the Ten Commandments. Beside his bed was a whip to beat hirl and make liiru feel
sJ

luilty. But then he invited Jesus to live inside. After that, Marlin Luther movecl off the
:.rrone of his hear1. If you knocked at the door of his
reart. you would have found Jesus on the inside.
An arlist named Holman Hunt painted a
'-r1cture of Jesus knocking at the door. One
:lan Lvent to Mr. Hunt. He told the artist,
see
"\-ou made a mistake! You did not put any
landle on the outside of the doorl" The
:rrist replied, "No, it is not a mistake.
\-ou do not understand. The only handle
:s on tire inside. E,ach person must open
:he door to Jesusl"

,,i
Notice that Jesus sent a message to the
hoie church at Laodicea. But He did
xot iltvite the whole church to respond
\Y O 43 \ How are eating
''r rth one voice. A t

,t, (1,
church is rnade up of ,, ';', and sleeping like repentance?
'-,eople. Each person in the church must
r.cspond to Jesus. There are things that
{*'I i}NN
one cannot do for another. You eat I'JH",^-, --f .
:* f ,f'r-r->
tbr yourself. You sleep for yourself. '., |>'
l\
) .- e.zir\.,1
3-! .-a ^-
You must repent for yourself. You
nrust live you own life. You rnust
decide for yourself.
"Here I ant! I stond at the door
qnd knock. If anyone hears nnt
t'oice ctnd open.s the door, I w,ill
c'onte in and eqt v'ith him, and he
with nte " (Rev. 3:20).
Figure 4.15 Jesus knocking at the door

,)b