GOD'S PLAN FOR THE AGES – Part 1
The Book of Revelation
Chapters 1-3

Intro. God is a God of order. Nothing He does is arbitrary. That is, He has a plan for every thing He does and He has a plan for the world. People spend a lot of time worrying about all kinds of things. Global warming, Atomic Weapons, Terrorist Attacks, Diseases, The Economy, Politics.

But a child of God ought not worry about those things, because he can know that God has a plan. As a matter of fact, when you look at world events today, in light of the Word of God, things are starting to get very interesting - even exciting.

You might say, “Things are looking pretty bleak to me, even frightening”. Well, if you are an unbeliever, it should be very scary, because the time you have left to get saved and get right with God and have your place in heaven secured is growing short. But for the Bible believing, Christian who understands what God’s Word teaches about end times, there are thrilling days ahead.

Oh yes, things look dark right now, but it is true in this case that, “It is darkest just before the dawn.” Because at the point when it looks like things couldn’t get worse and there’s no hope, is the time the Bible teaches, that Jesus will come and take his church home...

And we can say, “Praise God, it’s getting gloriously dark”. God has a plan, and everything that is happening and will happen in the world is proceeding according to God's eternal plan.

Eph. 1:11 "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,"

Basically what we are going to see in these two messages, is an over view of the Book of Revelation. Revelation is a very important book. There are two books the devil especially hates. Genesis, The Book of Beginnings and Revelation, the Book of Conclusions and new beginnings.

In Genesis Satan appears for the first time and his doom is pronounced.
In Revelation Satan appears for the last time and his doom is carried out.

In Genesis we find Paradise lost
In Revelation we find Paradise Regained

In Genesis we find Man Driven from the Tree of Life
In Revelation Man is Invited Back to the Tree of Life

In Genesis we find the Beginning of Sorrows and Suffering
In Revelation the End of Sorrows and suffering

In Genesis we see The Beginning of Death
In Revelation - No more death

In Genesis we see The First Adam and His Bride fall into sin.
In Revelation we see The Last Adam and His Bride recover from the fall.

So this is what the devil tells you about those two books. He says, "Genesis is a Myth and Revelation is a Mystery".

"Genesis is full of contradictions with science and Revelation is full of controversial symbols.

So "Genesis you can't trust and Revelation you can't understand". “So you don't need to read either.”

Now that, like everything else the devil says, is a lie. As a matter of fact the Bible says that God has promised a special blessing to those who read, believe and obey the Book of The Revelation.

1:3 "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near."

So in the first chapter of the book of Revelation, God promises a special blessing to those who study it. But not only in the first chapter. Also in the last - 22:7. "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book."

Now what about understanding it? Is it possible to read and comprehend the book of Revelation? Yes, if you know the key.

The Key Verse of the Book of Revelation is 1:19. "Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later."

This is the Golden Key to the Revelation. If you don't understand this verse, you won't understand the book.

Notice 3 parts of this verse. Jesus says to the apostle John, "Write, therefore,"
1. "what you have seen,"
2. "what is now"
3. "what will take place later".

These divisions represent the outline of the book of The Revelation. Roughly the divisions are:

1. "what you have seen," Chapter 1. John had just seen a vision of the Glorified Christ...

2. "what is now" Chapters 2-3 The Church Age - From the time of John's writing until the Present.

3. "what will take place later". Chapters 4-22 Future

Now lets look at these in a little more detail:

I. "What you have seen." Rev. 1:12-18 is a vision of the resurrected glorified Christ. When John saw him here it was not in suffering and humiliation but power and majesty. He was clothed as a king and a judge. He had all knowing eyes, and power in his voice. This is how we'll see him when he returns.

The first time Jesus came John laid his head on His chest.
Here John fell at His feet as dead.

The first time He came as the Lamb of God.
Next time He'll come as the Lion of the tribe of Judah

The first time he came as Savior.
When He comes again He'll come as Judge and King

And everybody will face him. Today you have a choice. - In that day, you won't. You either face him as Savior now. Or face him as Judge when he returns. (So the first division of the book, "what you have seen," is Chapter 1, a vision of the Glorified Christ.)

II. "What is now." Chapters 2-3 In these chapter we see seven messages to seven Churches. These are seven literal churches, but they also represent all churches of all times. In these letters you can find just about every church problem there is. (Uncalled preachers, false doctrine, Laymen running the church, Satanic Opposition, Persecution…)

But there is something else I want you to see. The Church Age, which is the age of biblical and prophetic history in which we are now living, began on the day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts chapter 2, and will end with the rapture of the church. (Which we'll describe in a moment).

We are living in the age of the "what is now". This age has lasted now for nearly 2000 years. And in these 2 chapters we see various stages, epochs, periods, divisions, in the history of the Church.

So let me explain this again, in some detail. These seven Churches represent 3 different things.

A. Seven Literal Churches that existed at the end of the first century when John wrote this book. They were literal churches, in Asia Minor, which is modern Turkey.

B. All Churches of All Times and the issues that can arise in churches, such as false teaching, church fights, pride, political alignment. There are also positive things like sound doctrine, and church discipline and other things for which these churches are praised and commended.

C. Distinct Historical Periods during the age of the church in which we are now living.

Lets look at each of these 7 churches and I'll show you what I mean.

1. Ephesus Rev. 2:1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:" This church has been called by some, (The Working but loveless Church) This epistle from the Lord Jesus Himself deals with the church of John's time, the church of the late first century. This was a church that was laboring, but had lost its fire, it's zeal. Jesus says it had "lost (it's) first love" 2:4 "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love."

This age was contemporary to John but everything after this, while much of it is history to us, was still prophecy to John.

2. Smyrna 2:8 "To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again." This is (The Suffering but pure church) and presents a description of the church that would exist in roughly the 2nd and 3rd centuries.

We know from Church history that during this period the church suffered wave after wave of intense persecution from Rome and yet it remained true. And if you read verses 8-11 you'll see that is the character of this church.

"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty‑‑yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death."

3. Pergamum 2:12 "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double‑edged sword." This is the (Orthodox but worldly church) It speaks of the church of the 4th - 6th century. During this period the church and the state became married, as Christianity became the official religion of Rome.

It is known as the Old Catholic period, and at the end of this time Gregory the Great ascended as the 1st real Pope and the "Holy Roman Empire" began.

2:15 "Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans." Nicolaitans comes from two Greek words. "nicao", which means, “to conquer”. And “laos”, which means “people”. “To conquer the people”.

Popery was taking a foothold in the church. It was the beginning of the eccleastical hierarchy that would become the Roman Catholic system. And I want you to notice what God thinks of that. Look in verse 6. Writing to the Ephesian church Jesus says, "But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."

4. Thyatira 2:18 "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze." This was (The working but corrupt church).

"Thyatira" seems to mean "continual sacrifice" It comes from two Greek words "thusia" which means, "to sacrifice", and "tereo" which means, "to keep on or continue".

This is the church that existed in the 7th -15th Century. It was a period of absolute Dominance by the Roman Catholic System. Evangelical scholars call it "The Dark Ages", because the light of the true gospel was all but extinguished. The primary Doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church observed in their mass is called "Transubstantiation".

It means that when Catholics observe the "Eucharist", what we call communion or The Lord's Supper, that the elements, (bread and wine), are actually, literally transformed into the body and blood of Christ. That the priest performs a miracle and when he places the bread in your mouth you are eating the very flesh of Christ. And when you drink the fruit of the vine, it is transformed and you literally drink the blood of Christ.

So in reality what takes place is not a reenactment of the crucifixion or sacrifice of Christ, but a renewal of the sacrifice of Christ, - hence (Remember the meaning of Thyatira), - "continual sacrifice". By the way that is heresy. It is a denial of the efficacy of finished work of Christ...

Heb. 10 "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Here I am, I have come to do your will." ...And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

5. Sardis 3:1 "To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead." This is the (Orthodox but dead church)

Some say that the word Sardis means "A remnant of those escaping", and while I haven't been able to confirm that, it is consistent with the church of this age.

This is the period of the protestant reformation in the 16th and 17th Centuries when the church finally broke away from Roman domination...

Unfortunately the Church of the Reformation didn't complete the task. Much of Catholicism remains in many protestant denominations today including Baptist Churches.

Also many of the early protestant churches while escaping from Roman bondage ended up becoming state churches and were really no better off than they were before. And so while this church had a reputation for having life, it was in many ways just as dead as it's Roman predecessor.

6. Philadelphia 3:7 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open."

Of course we know that Philadelphia means brotherly love so this is the Church of brotherly love. It has been called (The Feeble but Faithful Church), and it the represents a period of the church that was characterized by world wide missionary activity, specifically the mid 18th century to the mid 20th century.

It was during these years that God opened doors that all the forces of hell could not close, for missionaries like William Carey, and Adonirom Judson, and Hudson Taylor, and David Livingston, and Lottie Moon, and thousands of others whose names only heaven know, to carry the gospel to hundreds of unreached places and people groups.

Look at 3:8 "I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."

Now there is a remnant of this church, as there is most of the others, still on the scene today. Our Church needs to be, a remnant of the Philadelphian church.

But sadly, and yet within the plan of God, it's no longer the dominant church.

7. Laodicea 3:14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation."

When you read the verses that follow you find that this is (The Rich but Christless Church). Has there ever been a more accurate description of the church of the 21st century.

The word "Laodicea" means "ruled by the people"... God is absent from this church. It represents the church that came on the scene around 1950 with the beginning of the World Council of Churches and the ecumenical movement.

The Laodicean system of this age has deceived the church to lay aside sound doctrine, abandon biblical theology, and to come together under an abstract definition of love.

Paul warned Timothy in II Tim. 4:3 "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

The ultimate goal of the Laodicean church, the World Council of Churches, the ecumenical movement, theological liberalism, as well as much of the user-friendly church of the 20th century and the so-called emerging Church the 21st century with it’s Post Modern world view, (It's all pretty much the same), is to develop a one world religion, (which will become a reality during the tribulation).

And this church, because it is made up of many unbelievers, will last until after the rapture of the true church, which we will describe later. So the Laodicean Church, which is on the scene today, will continue for an unknown period of time.