The Revelation of Jesus Christ Chapters 1-3

The Revelation of Jesus Christ
An In-depth study of the Book of Revelation
Week 1

1. To best understand the Book of Revelation
we first must recognize the three genres
found with its pages.
a) “Apocalyptic” – meaning revelation
b) “Prophetic” – predictive declarations
c) “Epistolary” – letter form

2. Four terms every good Bible student should
know and understand.
a) “Eschatology” – The study of end-time
events
b) “Amillennial” – NO millennium
c) “Postmillennial” – AFTER the millennium
d) “Premillennial” – BEFORE the millennium

Revelation 20:1-3 (ESV) Then I saw an angel
coming down from heaven, holding in his
hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great
chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient
serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw
him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over
him, so that he might not deceive the nations
any longer, until the thousand years were
ended. After that he must be released for a
little while.

Isaiah 45:22-23 (ESV) “Turn to me and be
saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God,
and there is no other. 23 By myself I have
sworn; from my mouth has gone out in
righteousness a word that shall not return: ‘To
me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall
swear allegiance.’

Luke 13:18-21 (ESV) He said therefore, “What
is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I
compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed
that a man took and sowed in his garden, and
it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the
air made nests in its branches.” 20 And again
he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom
of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took
and hid in three measures of flour, until it was
all leavened.”

“The view that Jesus will return to reign over
a thousand-year Kingdom was the view of the
early church. Almost all the church leaders in
the first three centuries after Jesus’
resurrection held to a premillennial view. The
5th century church leader, Augustine, was the
one who suggested that the Kingdom of God
was really a spiritual Kingdom made visible in
the earthly church (the amillennial view).
…soon it replaced premillennalism as the
majority view.” Dr. John Walvoord

3. There are four primary views on the Book of
Revelation.
a) The Preterist view
b) The Idealist view
c) The Progressive Dispensationalist view
d) The Classical Dispensationalist view

4. Both the general and book introductions are
important because they lay the groundwork
for the interpretive model we’ll follow
throughout the course of our study.

5. The writing instrument of The Revelation of
Jesus Christ is none other than John the
Apostle, and not under Nero’s reign but near
the end of Domitian’s in the mid 90’s of the
first century.

6. The purpose of this book lies within the
majority of the text (Chapters 4 – 18) which
addresses what will take place immediately
before, during, and after the Second Advent
of Christ.

7. Chapter 1:1-3 serves as the prologue and
quickly establishes a theme.
Revelation 1:1-3 (NASB) The Revelation of Jesus
Christ, which God gave Him to show to His
bond-servants, the things which must soon take
place; and He sent and communicated it by His
angel to His bond-servant John, 2 who testified
to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus
Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is he
who reads and those who hear the words of the
prophecy, and heed the things which are written
in it; for the time is near.

Week 2

FOUR AGES IN REVELATION
Chapters Age Years
Chapters 1 – 3 Church Age ? years
Chapters 4 – 19 Tribulation Age 7 years
Chapter 20 Kingdom Age 1000 years
Chapters 21 – 22 Eternal Age Endless

Revelation 1:4 (NASB) John to the seven churches
that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from
Him who is and who was and who is to come, and
from the seven Spirits who are before His throne,
5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of
the earth. To Him who loves us and released us
from our sins by His blood—

1. This book is a circular letter only addressed
to seven of the ten churches in Western Asia
Minor (an important point).

2. “Grace and peace” to you from the Triune
God – not John.

Isaiah 11:1-2 (ESV) There shall come forth a
shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch
from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of
the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of
counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and
the fear of the LORD.

3. Verse 5 gives a fitting description of Christ
in all His majesty and One Who is worthy of
praise.

Philippians 3:8-11 (ESV) Indeed, I count everything
as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered
the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in
order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him,
not having a righteousness of my own that comes
from the law, but that which comes through faith in
Christ, the righteousness from God that depends
on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of
his resurrection, and may share his sufferings,
becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any
means possible I may attain the resurrection from
the dead.

Revelation 20:5-6 (ESV) The rest of the dead did
not come to life until the thousand years were
ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed
and holy is the one who shares in the first
resurrection! Over such the second death has
no power, but they will be priests of God and of
Christ, and they will reign with him for a
thousand years.

Revelation 20:12-13 (ESV) And I saw the dead,
great and small, standing before the throne, and
books were opened. Then another book was
opened, which is the book of life. And the dead
were judged by what was written in the books,
according to what they had done. 13 And the sea
gave up the dead who were in it, Death and
Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and
they were judged, each one of them, according
to what they had done.

4. Christ Jesus continues to love us – His
Church today.

Week 3

1. With freedom comes great honor and
responsibility as God’s kingly priests.
Revelation 1:6 (NASB) and He has made us to
be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—
to Him be the glory and the dominion forever
and ever. Amen.

Exodus 19:6 (ESV) and you shall be to me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These
are the words that you shall speak to the
people of Israel.”

1 Peter 2:9 (ESV) But you are a chosen race, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for
his own possession, that you may proclaim
the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.

Revelation 5:10 (NASB) "You have made them
to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and
they will reign upon the earth."

2. The Second Advent of Christ will be a sight
like no other in history.
Revelation 1:7 (NASB) BEHOLD, HE IS
COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye
will see Him, even those who pierced Him;
and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over
Him. So it is to be. Amen.

Acts 1:9-11 (NASB) And after He had said
these things, He was lifted up while they were
looking on, and a cloud received Him out of
their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently
into the sky while He was going, behold, two
men in white clothing stood beside them. 11
They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you
stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who
has been taken up from you into heaven, will
come in just the same way as you have
watched Him go into heaven."

Matthew 24:30 (NASB) "And then the sign of
the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and
then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON
THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and
great glory.
Mark 13:26 (NASB) "Then they will see THE
SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great
power and glory.

Revelation 1:7 (NASB) BEHOLD, HE IS
COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye
will see Him, even those who pierced Him;
and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over
Him. So it is to be. Amen.

Zechariah 12:10 (NASB) "I will pour out on
the house of David and on the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of
supplication, so that they will look on Me
whom they have pierced; and they will mourn
for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and
they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter
weeping over a firstborn.

Daniel’s 70th week
In secret
All will see

3. Christ Jesus is the exact image of God the
Father.
Revelation 1:8 (NASB) "I am the Alpha and the
Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who
was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Week 4

1. Within Christ’s command to John lay three
unifying truths.
a) There is equality in the Church
b) There has always been and will continue
to be tribulation for the Church
c) The Church is called to endure faithfully

2. The Apostle John was projected forward in
his “spirit” to a future time and day.
Revelation 1:10-11 (NASB) I was in the Spirit
on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a
loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11
saying, "Write in a book what you see, and
send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and
to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira
and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to
Laodicea."
“…does not refer to being in the Spirit on the first day of the week. Rather, it is a reference to the fact that by the power of the H

Revelation 1:9 (NASB) I, John, your brother
and fellow partaker in the tribulation and
kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus,
was on the island called Patmos because of
the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

3. John is commanded 12 times to write what
he sees and hears, yet there is one vision he
was not to record.
Revelation 1:10-11 (NASB) I was in the Spirit
on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a
loud voice like the sound of a trumpet, 11
saying, "Write in a book what you see, and
send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and
to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira
and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to
Laodicea."

4. Without a doubt the seven lampstands
represent the seven churches of verse 11 and
chapters two and three.
Revelation 1:12 (NASB) Then I turned to see
the voice that was speaking with me. And
having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;
Revelation 1:20c (NASB) … and the seven
lampstands are the seven churches.

5. The appearance of Christ as Priest and Judge
in verses 13–16 is a picture of His deity and
possessing all the attributes of God the
Father.

Revelation 1:13-16 (NASB) and in the middle of
the lampstands I saw one like a son of man,
clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and
girded across His chest with a golden sash. 14
His head and His hair were white like white
wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame
of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze,
when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and
His voice was like the sound of many waters. 16
In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of
His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and
His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

6. The seven stars of verse 16 are also
identified in verse 20 as the seven
messengers which are most likely the
pastors of those churches.
Revelation 1:20 (NASB) "As for the mystery of
the seven stars which you saw in My right
hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the
seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches, and the seven lampstands are the
seven churches.

Week 5

1. Clearly the message to the seven Churches is
providentially arranged in order to reveal
certain character traits and a possible
connection to Church history.

“In general these letters to the seven churches
address the problems inherent in churches
throughout church history and are an incisive
and comprehensive revelation of how Christ
evaluates local churches.” DTS Faculty

Seven Divisions Types & Characteristics
• Ephesus – The Apostolic Period AD 30
• Smyrna – The Persecuted Church AD 100
• Pergamum – The Indulged Church AD 312
• Thyatira – The Pagan Church AD 606

Seven Divisions Types & Characteristics
• Sardis – The Dead Church AD 1520
• Philadelphia – The Loved Church 1750
• Laodicea – The Apostate Church AD 1900

2 Timothy 3:1-5 (ESV) But understand this,
that in the last days there will come times of
difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self,
lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive,
disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,
unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having the appearance of godliness, but
denying its power. Avoid such people.

2. Ephesus was also known as the “desired
one.”
Revelation 2:1 (NASB) "To the angel of the
church in Ephesus write: The One who holds
the seven stars in His right hand, the One who
walks among the seven golden lampstands,
says this:

3. Not only did Christ Jesus maintain a hold
upon the churches but He was also active in
their midst.
church in Ephesus write: The One who holds
the seven stars in His right hand, the One who
walks among the seven golden lampstands,
says this:

4. Christ commends the Church at Ephesus
because they have not compromised morally
or theologically.
Revelation 2:2-3 (NASB) 'I know your deeds
and your toil and perseverance, and that you
cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the
test those who call themselves apostles, and
they are not, and you found them to be false;
3 and you have perseverance and have
endured for My name's sake, and have not
grown weary.

5. The one major problem with the second
generation of the Church in Ephesus was a
loss of passion for Christ and His Church.
Revelation 2:4-5 (NASB) 'But I have this
against you, that you have left your first love. 5
'Therefore remember from where you have
fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at
first; or else I am coming to you and will
remove your lampstand out of its place—
unless you repent.

6. Ephesus was also commended for “hating the
works” of a group who opposed the work of
Christ in some form or fashion.
Revelation 2:6 (NASB) 'Yet this you do have,
that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans,
which I also hate.

7. God’s expectation for the Church is to
overcome!
Revelation 2:7 (NASB) 'He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of
the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.'

Week 6

1. The characteristic Christ Jesus reminds the
Church at Smyrna of is the one that brings
hope to all believers – His resurrection!
Revelation 2:8 (NASB) "And to the angel of the
church in Smyrna write: The first and the last,
who was dead, and has come to life, says this:

2. Christians should also find it comforting that
Christ Jesus can identify with us in our pain
and suffering!
Revelation 2:9 (NASB) 'I know your
tribulation and your poverty (but you are
rich), and the blasphemy by those who say
they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue
of Satan.

Romans 2:28-29 (ESV) For no one is a Jew
who is merely one outwardly, nor is
circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a
Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a
matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the
letter. His praise is not from man but from
God.

Hebrews 2:16-18 (NLT) We also know that the
Son did not come to help angels; he came to
help the descendants of Abraham. 17 Therefore,
it was necessary for him to be made in every
respect like us, … so that he could be our
merciful and faithful High Priest before God.
Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take
away the sins of the people. 18 Since he himself
has gone through suffering and testing, he is
able to help us when we are being tested.

3. The Church is to accept the fact that
difficulties and suffering will always be a part
of life until Christ returns!
Revelation 2:10a (NASB) 'Do not fear what
you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is
about to cast some of you into prison, so that
you will be tested, and you will have
tribulation for ten days. …

2 Corinthians 4:8-12 (NLT) We are pressed on
every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.
We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9
We are hunted down, but never abandoned by
God. We get knocked down, but we are not
destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies
continue to share in the death of Jesus so that
the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.
… 12 So we live in the face of death, but this has
resulted in eternal life for you.

4. God rewards faithfulness!
Revelation 2:10b-11 (NASB) … Be faithful until
death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11
'He who has an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes
will not be hurt by the second death.'

Revelation 20:15 (NLT) And anyone whose
name was not found recorded in the Book of
Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

James 1:12 (NLT) God blesses those who
patiently endure testing and temptation.
Afterward they will receive the crown of life
that God has promised to those who love him.

Week 7
The Message to the Church @ Pergamum

1. Pergamum was a lot like modern America –
rich and educated while maintaining an
abundance of stupidity.

2. The first key to faithful living in a perverse
society – rightly knowing God’s Word.
Revelation 2:12 (NASB) "And to the angel of
the church in Pergamum write: The One who
has the sharp two-edged sword says this:

3. The second key to faithful living in a perverse
society – is holding to God’s Word without
compromise.
Revelation 2:13 (NASB) 'I know where you
dwell, where Satan's throne is; and you hold
fast My name, and did not deny My faith even
in the days of Antipas, My witness, My faithful
one, who was killed among you, where Satan
dwells.

4. Moral compromise between the Church and
our cultural will never lead to peace but
always to corruption.
Revelation 2:14-15 (NASB) 'But I have a few
things against you, because you have there
some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who
kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block
before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed
to idols and to commit acts of immorality. 15 'So
you also have some who in the same way hold
the teaching of the Nicolaitans.

James 4:4 (NLT) You adulterers! Don’t you
realize that friendship with the world makes
you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you
want to be a friend of the world, you make
yourself an enemy of God.

5. It is only in turning from our sins back to
Christ that we find the approval of God!
Revelation 2:16-17 (NASB) 'Therefore repent;
or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will
make war against them with the sword of My
mouth. 17 'He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches. To him who
overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden
manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a
new name written on the stone which no one
knows but he who receives it.'

Week 8
The Message to the Church @ Thyatira

1. A church can look great outside with a nice
façade but stink spiritually inside.

2. Christ Jesus is The Son of God – He knows
and judges all!
Revelation 2:18-19 (NASB) "And to the angel
of the church in Thyatira write: The Son of
God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and His
feet are like burnished bronze, says this: 19 'I
know your deeds, and your love and faith and
service and perseverance, and that your deeds
of late are greater than at first.

“There is nothing more piercing than flaming
fire. Everything yields and melts before it. It
penetrates all things, consumes every
opposition, sweeps down all obstructions, and
presses its way with invincible power. And of
this sort are the eyes of Jesus. They look
through everything; they pierce through all
masks and coverings; they search the
remotest recesses; they behold the most
hidden things of the soul; and there is no
escape from them.” Joseph Seiss

3. “Thyatira” is formed from two Greek words
meaning “sacrifice” and “continual.”

“…this introduces the central heresy that has
produced other false doctrines. That is, the
church of Rome denies the finished work of
Christ but believes in a continuing sacrifice
which produces such things as sacraments and
praying for the dead, burning candles, ect.
…their emphasis on the “continual sacrifice” and
rejection of our Lord’s finished work breeds a
concept that causes man to try to earn his own
salvation by works, penance, indulgences, and
many other satanically conceived ideas.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) For by grace you have
been saved through faith. And this is not your
own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of
works, so that no one may boast.

Exodus 20:4 (ESV) “You shall not make for
yourself a carved image, or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that is in
the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth.

4. There is no room in leadership for cowards
or the scripturally naive!
Revelation 2:20-21 (NASB) 'But I have this
against you, that you tolerate the woman
Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and
she teaches and leads My bond-servants
astray so that they commit acts of immorality
and eat things sacrificed to idols. 21 'I gave her
time to repent, and she does not want to
repent of her immorality.

5. The old saying is still true, “You better turn
before you burn!
Revelation 2:22-23 (NASB) 'Behold, I will
throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who
commit adultery with her into great
tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.
23 'And I will kill her children with pestilence,
and all the churches will know that I am He
who searches the minds and hearts; and I will
give to each one of you according to your
deeds.

6. Don’t believe the lie that everyone in the
Church is saved!
Revelation 2:24-25 (NASB) 'But I say to you,
the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold
this teaching, who have not known the deep
things of Satan, as they call them—I place no
other burden on you. 25 'Nevertheless what
you have, hold fast until I come.

7. The Lord’s promise in verses 26 thru 29 is a
great honor for the believer!

Revelation 2:26-29 (NASB) 'He who
overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until
the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY
OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND HE SHALL RULE
THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE
VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO
PIECES, as I also have received authority from
My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning
star. 29 'He who has an ear, let him hear what
the Spirit says to the churches.'

2 Timothy 2:12 (NASB) If we endure, we will
also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also
will deny us;

Revelation 20:4-6 (NASB) Then I saw thrones, and
they sat on them, and judgment was given to them.
And I saw the souls of those who had been
beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and
because of the word of God, and those who had not
worshiped the beast or his image, and had not
received the mark on their forehead and on their
hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ
for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not
come to life until the thousand years were
completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed
and holy is the one who has a part in the first
resurrection; over these the second death has no
power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ
and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

“ … the faithful will receive the morning star,
which appears just before the dawn. The
Scriptures do not explain this expression, but
it may refer to participation in the Rapture of
the church before the dark hours preceding
the dawn of the millennial kingdom”

Week 9
The Message to the Church @ Sardis

1. For the true believer, the Church of Sardis
may have been one you’d like to escape from
because of its coldness.

2. Once again the readers are directed to a
characteristic of Christ previously spoken of
in chapter one – His power and divinity to
rule and know.
church in Sardis write: He who has the seven
Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: 'I
know your deeds, that you have a name that
you are alive, but you are dead.

…the ritual and ceremony of the Reformation
church often crowded out the true life
underneath so that it was impotent and
ineffective in the hand of God. … Although the
Reformation leaders began well, they did not
proceed to complete the works of reforming
the church, but stopped far short of scriptural
standards. Dr. Tim LaHaye

3. The Sardis Church needed stabilization
which can only be obtained by proper
Scriptural teaching.
Revelation 3:2 (NASB) 'Wake up, and
strengthen the things that remain, which were
about to die; for I have not found your deeds
completed in the sight of My God.

4. If you want to survive as a local church then
follow the council of Christ and do three
things – remember, hold on, and repent.
Revelation 3:3 (NASB) 'So remember what you
have received and heard; and keep it, and
repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will
come like a thief, and you will not know at
what hour I will come to you.

5. God has always maintained a remnant for His
glory.
Revelation 3:4-5a (NASB) 'But you have a few
people in Sardis who have not soiled their
garments; and they will walk with Me in
white, for they are worthy. 5 'He who
overcomes will thus be clothed in white
garments; …

6. God’s promise in the later part of verse 5 is a
straightforward affirmation of what He will
and will not do for the believer.
Revelation 3:5b (NASB) … and I will not erase
his name from the book of life, and I will
confess his name before My Father and before
His angels.

Exodus 32:32-33 (NKJV) Yet now, if You will
forgive their sin--but if not, I pray, blot me out
of Your book which You have written." [33] And
the Lord said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned
against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

Week 10
The Message to the Church @ Philadelphia

1. The Church of Philadelphia was the “love of
the brethren” church.
• A better name might be “the church of
opportunity.”
• The city was called by many in that day “little
Athens.”

2. Christ Jesus is literally “the Holy One of
Israel” and distinguished from all others as
the genuine and separated God.

Revelation 3:7-8 (NASB) "And to the angel of
the church in Philadelphia write: He who is
holy, who is true, who has the key of David,
who opens and no one will shut, and who
shuts and no one opens, says this: 8 'I know
your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an
open door which no one can shut, because
you have a little power, and have kept My
word, and have not denied My name.

3. “Keys” are symbolic of authority and verses 7
& 8 concern the authority Christ holds as the
Heir to the throne of David.

Isaiah 22:22 (NASB) "Then I will set the key of
the house of David on his shoulder, When he
opens no one will shut, When he shuts no one
will open.

Revelation 1:18 (NASB) and the living One;
and I was dead, and behold, I am alive
forevermore, and I have the keys of death and
of Hades.

4. The Church at Philadelphia had multiple
opportunities before them in spite of
supposed limitations.

“Wonderful promises are made to this church,
promises that are key to understanding
prophecy. First, He promises that there is an
open door for believers to reach out to a lost
world. We don’t have to be eloquent or slick,
we just need to be prayerfully available to His
leading. What a comforting thought for timid
souls who love the Lord, but have not had a
course in “how to lead someone to Christ.”

1 Corinthians 16:9 (NLT) There is a wide-open
door for a great work here, although many
oppose me.
2 Corinthians 2:12 (NLT) When I came to the
city of Troas to preach the Good News of
Christ, the Lord opened a door of opportunity
for me.

5. “Every dog has his day” and so will Christ
and His Church.
Revelation 3:9 (NASB) 'Behold, I will cause
those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that
they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make
them come and bow down at your feet, and
make them know that I have loved you.

Revelation 6:9-11 (NLT) When the Lamb broke
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of
all who had been martyred for the word of God
and for being faithful in their testimony. 10 They
shouted to the Lord and said, “O Sovereign
Lord, holy and true, how long before you judge
the people who belong to this world and avenge
our blood for what they have done to us?” 11
Then a white robe was given to each of them.
And they were told to rest a little longer until
the full number of their brothers and sisters—
their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be
martyred—had joined them.

Philippians 2:7-11 (NASB)but emptied Himself,
taking the form of a bond-servant, and being
made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even
death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God
highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the
name which is above every name, 10 so that at
the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those
who are in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.

6. The Church is called to persevere through the
trials of life today while receiving a promise
of deliverance from greater tribulation in the
future.
Revelation 3:10-11 (NASB) 'Because you have
kept the word of My perseverance, I also will
keep you from the hour of testing, that hour
which is about to come upon the whole world,
to test those who dwell on the earth. 11 'I am
coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so
that no one will take your crown.

“It is difficult to see how Christ could have
made this promise to this local church if it
were God’s intention for the entire church to
go through the Tribulation that will come on
the entire world. Even though the church at
Philadelphia would go to glory via death long
before the time of trouble would come, if the
church here is taken to be typical of the body
of Christ standing true to the faith, the
promise seems to go beyond the Philadelphia
church to all those who are believers in
Christ.”

7. God honors those who honor Him!
Revelation 3:12 (NKJV) He who overcomes, I
will make him a pillar in the temple of My
God, and he shall go out no more. And I will
write on him the name of My God and the
name of the city of My God, the New
Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven
from My God. And I will write on him My new
name.

Week 11
The Message to the Church @ Laodicea

1. Material wealth can be a blessing or a curse
and for Laodicea it was the latter.

2. Christ Jesus – “The So be it, faithful true
Witness, and Source” of creation.
church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the
faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the
creation of God, says this:

3. A Church that carries the mark of
indifference is like ipecac to God!
Revelation 3:15-16 (NASB) 'I know your
deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I
wish that you were cold or hot. 16 'So because
you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I
will spit you out of My mouth.

4. The evidence of being a Laodicea being a
lukewarm church was in their contentment
with material wealth and blindness to
spiritual poverty.
Revelation 3:17 (NASB) 'Because you say, "I
am rich, and have become wealthy, and have
need of nothing," and you do not know that
you are wretched and miserable and poor and
blind and naked,

“The final church mentioned in Revelation is the
lukewarm church …, the church which will be in
existence when Christ returns. I believe the
majority of churches in these final days …are
lukewarm. … It’s interesting that God looks at
apostasy and gets angry – but He looks at
indifference and becomes ill. The preaching in
the church was compromising. The pastor
probably didn’t want to upset his congregation.
Maybe he rattled their consciences a little – just
enough to bring out the guilt and fill the
collection plate …”

5. Those that are truly wise will take the advice
of Christ Jesus and repent!
Revelation 3:18-19 (NASB) I advise you to buy
from Me gold refined by fire so that you may
become rich, and white garments so that you
may clothe yourself, and that the shame of
your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye
salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and
discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

1 Peter 1:6-7 (NLT) So be truly glad. There is
wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to
endure many trials for a little while. 7 These
trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is
being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—
though your faith is far more precious than
mere gold. So when your faith remains strong
through many trials, it will bring you much
praise and glory and honor on the day when
Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Colossians 2:1-3 (ESV) For I want you to know
how great a struggle I have for you and for
those at Laodicea and for all who have not
seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may
be encouraged, being knit together in love, to
reach all the riches of full assurance of
understanding and the knowledge of God’s
mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are
hidden all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge.

Colossians 4:16 (ESV) And when this letter
has been read among you, have it also read in
the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you
also read the letter from Laodicea.

“What they needed was not this medicine but
spiritual sight. The church at Laodicea is
typical of a modern church quite unconscious
of its spiritual needs and content with
beautiful buildings and all the material things
money can buy. This is a searching and
penetrating message.”

6. Some folks just don’t get it; we have no
fellowship with Christ until we let Him in!
Revelation 3:20-21 (NASB) 'Behold, I stand at
the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice
and opens the door, I will come in to him and
will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 'He who
overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with
Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat
down with My Father on His throne.

“With Christ on the outside, there can be no
fellowship or genuine wealth. With Christ on
the inside, there is wonderful fellowship and
sharing of the marvelous grace of God. This
was an appeal to Christians rather than to
non-Christians. This raises the important
question concerning the extent of one’s
intimate fellowship with Christ. To those who
respond, Christ promises to give the right to
sit with Him on His throne and share His
victory.”

Revelation 3:22 (NASB) 'He who has an ear, let
him hear what the Spirit says to the
churches.'"

The Revelation of Jesus Christ Chapters 1-3

The Revelation of Jesus Christ Chapters 1-3

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