REVELATION 2:1-7 EPHESUS YOU HAVE LEFT YOUR FIRST LOVE2010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Revelation 2:1-7 Ephesus You Have Left Your First Love

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010. This morning, like I said, we're taking a little bit of a detour and we'll be picking up Revelation chapter 4 next week. But before we got into the next part of the book of Revelation...

The Lord really wanted us to spend some time looking at an overview of the prophetic picture. And so we're going to be doing it a little bit differently than we normally do. Not really a verse by verse study, but looking at different phases in the prophetic timeline and different events that are going to be taking place so that we have a good understanding of the whole picture.

And here in Daniel chapter 9, we have that overview. We have God declaring and laying out the different segments and different parts of his prophetic plan. And so that's why we're looking at this portion this morning.

Now the context of Daniel chapter 9 is Daniel is in captivity in Babylon and he's been reading the word, he's been reading the prophet Jeremiah. He realizes because of what Jeremiah declared that the time of captivity is almost up. And so he begins to pray and he begins to pray for his own sin and for the sin of the people and he's looking forward to the fulfillment of the people being released to go back to Jerusalem.

And as he's praying through this, we have the angel Gabriel come and share with him some insights about the things that are coming up, the things that are going to take place as the Jews are allowed to return home. It's going to be the beginning of a long-term prophetic picture that God will be declaring to Daniel and to us through the angel Gabriel.

There's a couple of things I want to point out as we get started here this morning. If you look with me at verse 22, it tells us that the angel there informed him and talked with him and said, "...O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand."

The purpose of Gabriel coming was to give Daniel skill to understand. Understand is a key word in this passage because in the very next verse, in verse 23, he tells him to consider the matter and understand the vision. Then, jumping down to verse 25, he says, "...know therefore and understand."

Three times here, the angel tells Daniel and speaks to you and I today to understand that the purpose of these things is that you and I would understand what God is declaring and what is going to take place. You see, God knows the future and I think we're pretty comfortable with that. But what we need to remember is that He wants you to know the future as well. He's declared it to us so that we would know it and that we would understand

understand it. It's not meant to be just some big mysterious, you know, who knows what's going to happen. He wants us to have a good clear understanding about what is to come. Not that we would know every detail and know all of the answers, but that we have a good understanding of what is going to take place.

Jesus, as he was quoting here from the prophet Daniel, he also makes a note there in Mark chapter 13 verse 14. He's talking about the same things that Daniel is talking about, quoting from the book of Daniel here. And he says, let the reader understand. He wants those who hear these things and those who listen to these things to understand Christ.

What is being said? What is being declared? And what is going to take place? And if you remember in Revelation chapter 1 verse 1, it's declared to us right there at the beginning. It's the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to show his servants things which must shortly take place.

The whole point of the book of Revelation is not to hide things from us, but to show us, to reveal to us the things that are going to take place. And so we've handed out today this Bible study resource, which is a prophetic timeline. It's just...

a good graphic visual of the things that are going to take place. And we give it to you and I encourage you to take some time, go through it, get to know it and learn about these things and understand these things that are going to happen, that are going to take place.

Now, some of these things are hard to grasp. And that's why you need to put a little effort into it and be diligent and study to show yourself approved unto God, as 2 Timothy says, because God wants you to understand. He wants you to know what is going to take place. And He's revealed to us these things in His Word for us to consider, for us to know, and for us to understand. Well, looking at verse 24,

The angel says to Daniel, 70 weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. As the angel is speaking to Daniel, he says, there's 70 weeks that are determined for your people.

Now as he uses the word week, automatically what comes to our mind is a week of seven days, right? But what he's actually referring to is seven years. One week would be a seven year period. And so he's saying that there's 77 year periods that are determined by

for your people. It's kind of similar to, you know, if I was to use the word dozen, what would be the first thing that would come to your mind? Probably donuts, maybe eggs.

Maybe bagels, you know, whatever your preference is. But dozen just means 12. It can be applied to all kinds of different situations. In the same way, week is just a period of seven. And so it can be seven days or seven years. And so we understand that he's speaking here of 70 seven-year periods, a total of 490 years altogether. And so Gabriel gives Daniel this story.

Span of time. 490 years that are determined for, notice the subjects of this 490 year period. It's your people and your holy city.

The nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem is specifically what these 70 weeks pertain to. They're specifically centered around the people of Israel, the Jewish people, and the city of Jerusalem. And then he goes on to tell him what's going to be accomplished. These 490 years are determined for his people to accomplish something.

Some particular things. And so I put it together as God's to-do list. Something I'm familiar with and I can relate to. So here's God's to-do list. He has to finish the transgression. He has to make an end of sins. He needs to make reconciliation for iniquity. He needs to bring in everlasting righteousness. He needs to seal up or fulfill all vision and prophecy. And then He needs to anoint the Most Holy. This is God's declared to-do list.

that He's going to accomplish in this span of time that is 490 years. In this span of time, He is going to accomplish all of these things. Now, as you look at this to-do list that God has set for Himself, you can look and quickly understand that many of these are not yet fulfilled, but there is one that is fulfilled, and we'll get to that in a little bit.

But as we look at this overview, the prophetic timeline, the first phase of this timeline is a phase that lasts 483 years. It's the 483 years that precede the coming of the Messiah. Look at verse 25.

He says, "...know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. The street shall be built again and the wall even in troublesome times."

Here is Gabriel continues to reveal to Daniel the things that are to come. He gives him this first phase. It's one of five that I'll be sharing with you this morning.

This first phase consists of 483 years. So we have a total of 490 years altogether that are determined for the people. The first phase of this is actually 483 years. Almost all of it is going to be used up. Almost all the time is going to take place of that 490 years right here in the beginning.

Now again, notice in verse 25 he says, Know therefore and understand. So if I'm already starting to get you lost in the years and the numbers and things, understand. This is meant for you to know and to understand. So try to stay tuned in and keep on track of these things. There is a period of 483 years that begins at a certain point and ends at a certain point. It begins...

Here Gabriel says, with the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. There is going to be a command to rebuild Jerusalem and that would be the beginning of this time period. That would be the beginning of this time clock of God's prophetic timeline taking place. Now this command was given by King Artaxerxes when he made a decree giving Nehemiah permission to

Safe passage and supplies to go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the walls. March 14th, 445 B.C. is the accepted date for that command that was given, that decree that was made. So 445 B.C. begins...

That 483 year period. Now it's divided into two parts. He says there will be seven weeks and then 62 weeks. Altogether that's 69 weeks. 69 days.

periods of seven years, which is 483 years. That first seven weeks is actually about the amount of time that it took for the walls to be completed. And so it was about 49 years after the command was given for the city to be rebuilt and for the walls to be completed. And then

That following 62 weeks then is from the completion of the rebuilding of the city until, what does he say? Until Messiah the Prince there in verse 25. And so after that 483 years is up, those 69 periods of seven are completed, then Messiah the Prince would come. That's a reference to Jesus Christ, who is the Messiah.

Here Daniel is getting the vision, getting the understanding that they could calculate to the day when the Messiah would come. Sir Robert Anderson, who is a brilliant scholar back in the day, he did the math, he did the work, he

calculated that it would be 173,880 days, this 483 years, because Israel was on a 360-day calendar, it's not easy for us to just go and do it, but he did the work for us. And so it brings us to 32 AD from 445 BC. You count 173,880 days or days.

483 years, and you get to 32 AD, which was when Jesus Christ is on the scene. In fact, not just on the scene, but in Luke chapter 19, you probably remember the account as Jesus is riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

And the people are shouting, Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest. And you remember at that time the Pharisees, they got upset because the people were calling out these things because the people were declaring Jesus to be the Messiah.

It was the announcement, the pronouncement of Jesus as the Messiah as he rides into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey. And the Pharisees get upset and they say, hey, Jesus, tell them to stop. But Jesus said, no, this is an important day. And if they don't praise the Lord, if they don't cry out, then the rocks will cry out because this day is so significant.

And then you remember as Jesus is getting close to Jerusalem, riding on that donkey, He sees the city and He begins to weep over it. And it's very interesting what He said when He was weeping over the city. It says, If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, Jesus is saying this is a specific day. This is a significant day. He says, If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace...

But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you and your children within you to the ground. And they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not know the time of your visitation. Jesus is weeping over the city because especially in this day as the Messiah is being presented,

He's weeping because they didn't know the time of their visitation. When God had revealed to them, when they could do the math, when they could understand that there was this command to rebuild Jerusalem, there would be this certain number of days, this certain amount of time, and then the Messiah would come, Jesus is weeping for the city because they did not understand. They did not know the time of their visitation.

And so it's very important. God holds us accountable. Again, he wants us to know these things that are coming up, these things that are going to take place. This first phase has already been completed. The 483 years have been fulfilled. The command was given. The time passed. Jesus came onto the scene, was presented as the Messiah. And so that moves us on to the next phase, the

I forgot to show the graphic, sorry. It's also on your handout. So there's the 69 sevens between the command to rebuild Jerusalem and the first coming of Jesus. And then the next phase is actually a gap in the time. So you would think after 483 years are completed, there's seven more years to fulfill the 490. You would think the next seven years would be that fulfillment. But in reality, there's a gap. There's a span of time. It's like the...

stopwatch was paused and it will start up again at a certain point. But in the meantime, God is doing something different. He's doing something unique. Remember the vision was declared by the angel Gabriel was that these 70 weeks were determined for Daniel's people and for

Daniel's holy city, the people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Now, here in phase two of God's prophetic timeline, God's redirected his focus to

to the church. This is what we call the church age. It's the time where God is really reaching out to the world through the church. There will come a time again when He redirects His attention back on Israel and they're the predominant people of His plan and of His purposes and of His will and bringing His message to the world. But until then, until that resumes, right now He's called us to be the light of the world.

And so there's a gap of time that takes place. Now in verse 26 here in Daniel chapter 9 it says, And after 62 weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood until the end of the war. Desolations are determined.

Here in verse 26, we have a couple interesting things. First of all, he says, after that 62 weeks, which was after the first seven weeks, so really after the 69 weeks or the 483 years, he says, "...the Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself."

So the Messiah is going to come. The Messiah is going to come on the scene, but not establish his kingdom right away like was the thought of the day, but he instead is going to be cut off. And it makes perfect sense to us because we understand what happened to Jesus immediately after or directly following that triumphal entry. It was that very same week that he was crucified.

He was cut off, but not for himself. He wasn't crucified. He wasn't put to death. The word cut off could also be translated executed. He was executed, but not because of his own crimes, not because he sinned, because he was sinless and perfect. And so he was cut off, but not for himself. Amazing how Jesus fulfills these prophecies so completely because Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and for me.

Not for himself, not for his own sin, not for his own crimes, but for my crimes, for my sins. Taking the penalty, taking the punishment that was due to me. And so on God's to-do list here,

Jesus comes, He's cut off, and we have one of these completed. He made reconciliation for iniquity. You remember Paul in 2 Corinthians 5 says that God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them,

and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. He's brought about the reconciliation for iniquity. Even though we sin, we can be reconciled to God. We can be brought into right relationship with God because Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was cut off, not for Himself, but for our iniquity, for your sin and for my sin.

And so here it's declared, it's prophesied hundreds of years in advance in Daniel chapter 9. And so there in verse 26 again it says, After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.

So after the Messiah is cut off, the angel declares, there's going to be a destruction of the city and the sanctuary. And it's going to happen by a certain people. Now we know that this takes place in 70 AD, about 40 years after Jesus walked the earth, that the city and the temple are destroyed by the Roman army.

And so Rome is the people of the prince who is to come. The prince who is to come is a reference to the Antichrist who we'll be dealing with much more as we go into the book of Revelation. But the Antichrist will come on the scene. He'll be a world leader. He'll lead the people away from God, uniting the world against God in reality.

And so here he declares for us what's going to happen. And remember what Jesus said when he wept over the city? He said, if only you had known, especially in this your day, and now what's going to happen is the enemies are going to come around you and they're not going to rest until the city is demolished. They're going to level you. Jesus was weeping over the city declaring these things. Again, it's the fulfillment of what was revealed to Daniel here in Daniel chapter 9. And so there's going to be great destruction upon the city.

But at this time, we begin to see the gap filled with church history. So the Messiah is cut off.

The prophetic timeline is kind of paused for an indefinite amount of time. There's no specifications on how long the church age is going to be. We have the 483 years until Messiah comes. It doesn't tell us specifically how long is the church age, how long is our time here on earth. That's unknown and that's on purpose because at any time this church age will come to an end.

And will be taken out of this place. And so the 483 years are fulfilled. The last seven years that are determined for the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, those will be fulfilled. But in the meantime, we have the time of the church. It began at Pentecost.

As the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the church there in Acts chapter 2, and then it ends at the rapture of the church. And again, that's at an unknown time. It's at any moment Jesus Christ could return for his church. And so it begins at Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. It ends with the rapture. And it's interesting in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2,

There's a reference there to the departure and the Holy Spirit being taken out of the way and that's when the lawless one or the prince who is to come or the Antichrist will come on the scene. And it's interesting to me that the church begins with the Holy Spirit coming down and

And the church age ends when the Holy Spirit is lifted up as the church is raptured and taken out of the picture. The church really is about the work of the Holy Spirit. It's about the Holy Spirit working in us and through us. And so this span of time so far has been about 2,000 years since the church began. We're coming up on it in 20 years. It'll be 2,000 years exactly. But

Well, 22 years, I guess. But you get the point. It's been about 2,000 years, this span of time, this gap, this pause from the 70 weeks, the 69 that are fulfilled, and then the one that is yet to be fulfilled.

Now, as we've been going through the book of Revelation in chapters 2 and 3, we've been talking about the letters to the seven churches and the applications of these letters. The first application, of course, was to the literal church that existed in that day.

The second application was one I kept making reference to that we'd come back to it, and that's what we're going to do this morning. Looking at the global church at a particular time in church history, that each of those letters describe

And so we already looked at those other applications. And I'm just going to look briefly and run through with you how these laws,

letters to the seven churches kind of follow along with church history and declare to us and share with us the insights that go along with that. Now as we look at these things, I think it's important to understand that

In these things, we're speaking generally. This is not, you know, every church and every Christian was this way at this period in time, but it's kind of the general overall condition, kind of a broad brush stroke of how the church was and how it corresponds with the things that were going on in history. Also important to consider as we look at these dates and things,

There's different opinions and different variations on when one church would have began in church history and when it would have ended and so on and so forth. They're generally all about the same, but there's little variations in the dates because these things are more us reading into the text, which we don't normally do.

But it is interesting because there's enough of a pattern for us to recognize that these things are taking place, that these things are actually happening, and that there is a parallel between the church age and the letters to the seven churches. And so the church age begins with the church of Ephesus, which is what we would call the apostolic church.

So the church begins in 32 AD when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church. The prophetic timeline is paused as far as Daniel chapter 9 is concerned. It's going to resume, but in the meantime, there's this time where God is working in the world through the church, beginning with the church of Ephesus.

The church of Ephesus in Revelation chapter 2, you can turn there with me if you'd like, or you can stay here in Daniel chapter 9. We'll be back there shortly, whatever you're more comfortable with. But in Revelation chapter 2, verses 1 through 7, we have the description of the church at Ephesus.

They were hardworking, they were pure, they were doctrinally sound, they tested the false apostles and didn't allow them to continue to teach false doctrine. And those are characteristics that we see in the early church as the apostles were spreading the gospel from the beginning in 32 AD and then into 100 or so AD. That's the extension or the extent of this doctrine.

Ephesians chapter 1, verse 1.

And it's interesting that what we find early on in church history, that right away, people began to turn away from grace and get involved into legalism. You remember in Galatians chapter, well, in the book of Galatians, Paul says, look, I'm so surprised at how quickly you've turned away from grace and turned aside. Someone has bewitched you that you're following a gospel that isn't even a gospel any longer.

Also, if you consider all of the correction that we've gone through in the past several weeks, looking at these letters to the seven churches, all of those churches existed in this time period. That there was a lot of problems. There was a lot of issues early on in the church. There was a lot of things that were happening within the church that were not of God and that they needed to repent.

One of the doctrines that was taught in the time that goes along with legalism was that if you sin significantly after you've been baptized, you are lost and cannot be saved.

That was part of the legalistic mentality that was being taught at the time. And so they had left their first love, the love of God, the grace of God that they had come into a relationship with Jesus Christ by. Now they've developed it into legalism and they had left their first love. And so we see that the church of Ephesus, they're corresponding with that beginning of the church, 32 A.D. to about 100 A.D.

Well, then as we go forward to the next church, we have the church of Smyrna, which would correspond roughly with 100 to about 300 or 316 AD. Now, the name Smyrna means crushed, and that's very significant because Smyrna is the persecuted church. They were persecuted severely by the Jewish community, like much of the rest of the church was, but they

Then they would be persecuted even more severely by the Romans. There was a great Roman persecution that took place during the time period of 100 to about 316 AD. There was 10 different Roman emperors during this time. And so the reference there in the letter to the church of Smyrna about the 10 days is possibly a reference to those 10 emperors that...

Well, that ruled the empire and that persecuted Christians. There was intense persecution for believers.

Not just, you know, hey, you can't meet here or you need a permit for that or things that we might think of, but they were put to death for their faith. They were martyred for their faith. They were dipped in oil and then burned alive to act as torches for Caesar Nero and for the other emperors. They were thrown to hungry lions. People would fill stadiums to watch Christians be eaten alive

And there was that kind of persecution that was going on during this time. Fox in Fox's book of martyrs estimates that 5 million Christians were martyred during this 200 year period. Think about that. Our nation has existed for a little over 200 years now. And 5 million people in that time period were put to death for their faith in Jesus Christ.

during this time. And so Smyrna is the persecuted church and it fits very nicely here. It corresponds with what happened in church history from 100 to about 300 AD. It came to an end

At about 316 AD, when one of the Roman emperors passed or made the Edict of Toleration, where he declared that now Christianity and all religions would be tolerated and they were not to be persecuted anymore. And that brings us into the next phase or the next period of church history, which corresponds with Pergamos.

From 300 to about 500 AD, we would have the Church of Pergamos, which we would title the Worldly Church. The name Pergamos means married. And this time what happened is the church government married, not the church government, the Roman government married the church. They became united. They were joined together.

The church married the world. And so it's called the worldly church. And what happened was, again, the edict of toleration was passed. And so Christianity, imagine that for just a moment. On one day, you're fearing for your life because you're a Christian. The very next day, the edict has been passed. It's acceptable. And now the Roman government is embracing the church again.

And becoming an important part of the church. It happened with...

Constantine, who was the emperor of Rome at the time. He made Christianity legal, and as he was coming to power, it was at that time that the edict was passed, his predecessor passed it on his deathbed, and he was next in line, but there was one other opposer who wanted to take the throne instead of Constantine.

And so they went out to battle each other. And as Constantine went out, he saw a vision in the sky with a big cross. And there was a saying that went along with it, and this sign conquered. And so he was victorious and he thought, well, that vision means I'm supposed to be a Christian. I'm supposed to follow the sign of the cross. And so he began to...

involve the government in the church and the church in the government. Bishops and preachers were paid by the Roman government in some cases. And so there was this marriage that took place between the state or the government and the church. Now it's interesting. Satan tried for 200 years to wipe out the church by persecution, by severe persecution. But in that time the church thrived and it grew.

That time period that we look at with the church of Smyrna. And so he changes his tactics here. Now it's interesting because there in Revelation chapter 2, as Jesus is writing the letter to the city of Pergamos, the church of Pergamos, he makes reference to Balaam. And you remember Balaam tried to curse the people of God outwardly. He tried to go on top of a mountain, pronounce a curse, but he couldn't do it. They wouldn't be cursed.

Just like the Roman government tried to persecute from the outside, but the church, although it was persecuted, it thrived, it grew. And many more became believers at the witness and testimony of those who died for their faith. And so Balaam instead taught King Balak, who was the one who wanted to defeat Israel, he taught him, well, here's how you can make them a curse. You can infiltrate them.

Send down your young ladies, get them involved in sexual immorality, get them involved in idolatry, and in doing so, they turn themselves away from God, and God won't be blessing them like He is now. And that's what happened to the church in this time period. The enemy tried from the outside with persecution, that didn't work, and so now there's a change of tactics, and now the world is coming inside the church.

And so there was a lot of things that were happening. You would think, hey, it's great, Constantine becomes a Christian. But in reality, what happened is the church was impacted by the world and did not impact the world. And so the church began to turn away, began to compromise, began to include immorality and idolatry within the church practices.

It was the very beginning stages of what we would consider to be the Roman Catholic Church. And so there's a lot of issues and there's a lot of problems that were going on. Now please understand, my intention is not to pick on the Roman Catholic Church, but there is a lot of things that are going on in church history that relate to that. Now, a quick side note. When you look at church history, it's tragic. It's horrible. It's sad. It's embarrassing.

This is one of the reasons why we don't look at church history for how to do what we do or what to believe. That's why we go back to the scriptures because there was much that went wrong right from the very beginning. As the church progressed, they quickly turned from the things of God and included many things that were not of God.

And so as we go forward now in the timeline of the church age, the last four churches are interesting because all of them make reference to the return of Jesus Christ. And so the first three churches exist for these certain time periods, but the last four really continue until the rapture of the church.

All four of these exist in some form or fashion until the return of Jesus Christ. And so as we're looking at these, these are churches and these are situations that continue and that exist to this very day.

The church at Thyatira corresponds with the church history or church period of about 500 AD to the present and on to the tribulation period. This is a church that will go into the tribulation according to what Jesus said here in Revelation chapter 2, verse

In verse 22 of Revelation 2, he says, I will cast her into a sickbed and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation. And so this is a church that will continue on into the tribulation period. What's going on in this church? What happened? Well, this would be the pagan church or what you might label the medieval Roman Catholic Church. Now, again, to be fair, there was some tremendous change

examples of love and service and faith and patience that existed in this church and that continue to exist within the Roman Catholic Church. In Revelation 2, verse 19, Jesus said, I know your works, your love, your service, your faith, and your patience. And as for your works, the last are more than the first. And so there's some great examples there. There are some godly people there, and that is something to pay attention to.

But also in this letter, Jesus makes reference to Jezebel. And Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab there in the Old Testament. And she brought idolatry into the church. Or into, actually, not the church, into Judaism at that time. She got the people worshipping Baal.

And what we see in this time period of church history is this is when idolatry really begins to take a foothold. This is when things really begin to happen where the people are called and asked and willingly begin to worship and pray to God.

Mary, other saints. It was during this time where there was relics and all types of religious types of artifacts were worshipped and were held in high esteem. There was this idolatry that was brought within to the church in a very significant way. It was also during this time that the Pope rose to power. And

There was a command that was given that subjection to the Pope was necessary for salvation. You had to be obedient. You had to obey the Pope. You had to obey the sacraments of the church in order to be saved. It was at this time that these things were established. There was also in this passage

In the early period of this history, a long list of evil popes. And they were very immoral. They didn't achieve the position by being spiritual, but it was bought. There was a couple of times it was actually auctioned off.

And so there was a lot of corruption within the church at this time. And so there was a lot of terrible things going on. Pope Sergius III had a mistress. He was also openly and actively robbing the people. John XII,

used his palace as a place of prostitution, in fact, so much so that he was killed in the act of adultery by a jealous husband. So a jealous husband caught him with his wife, and so he killed the Pope there in the act of adultery. Benedict IX was worse than the others as far as immorality is concerned, and then he took robbery even to the extent of robbing graves, digging up the graves and taking the valuables off of them.

And so it was during this time that the church institution really became corrupt. Now, individuals were saved, and God even makes reference to that in his letter there to Thyatira in Revelation 2.

He makes reference there in verse 24, those who do not have this doctrine and those who don't know the depths of Satan. He says, hold fast what you have till I come. So he says, I'm coming again, hold fast what you have. And so even within the terrible things that were going on, there were individuals who were right with God. And he tells them, hey, just hang in there, I'm coming back. But the church as a whole, the organization was corrupt from the very beginning.

Well, that moves us forward to the next period, which would be the church of Sardis, which corresponds with about 1500 AD until the tribulation period. Again, the reference is made in Revelation chapter 3 to this church going through the tribulation period because they were asleep and they weren't awake and so they miss out on the return of Jesus Christ. Well, this would be called the Reformation Church or the Reformed Church.

This was the church that... The church period began with Martin Luther...

who, in 1517, you remember, he tacked his 95 theses on the door and made a separation. They were called Protestants because they protested the things that were going on within the church at the time, the selling of indulgences and things like that. A lot of history there I'm not going to get into. But it was at this time that there was a separation, that the Protestant Reformation took place. And so,

And it took place on some basic pillars. They focused on the Bible alone, faith alone, grace alone, and Christ alone. And these four pillars were the pillars of the Reformation. Now there was some problems with the Reformation too though because it wasn't a full Reformation. In fact, they still kept much of the tradition and the rituals that the church was already practicing.

It still kept the status of really being married to the state as well. It was still strongly tied to the government, and so there was still some issues going along with that as well. Even Martin Luther and some of the other people who were involved in the Reformation recognized that the Reformation failed to bring real life or revival to the church. And you remember, Sardis is mentioned as the dead church.

It changed ideas, but it didn't change people's lives. In some of the visitation records that Luther kept, he declared that the people are dead spiritually, that there's no spiritual life. They don't care about God, that they don't come to church. And when they do come to church, as soon as the minister begins to preach, people run for the door.

And so there was a reformation of philosophy and it was important. It was very important, significant, but at the same time, there wasn't a real spiritual life that took place. And there was still some corruption and things going on. In fact, some of the reformers persecuted those who disagreed with them.

And so they would put to death those who disagreed with their separation from the church or disagreed with some of the ideas that they were continuing to practice. And so there were some issues with that as well.

And so that church begins around 1500 with Martin Luther and some of the other guys who were involved in the reformation of the church. But it continues on and exists to the present and then on into the tribulation period. Again, there's individuals who are saved, but as a whole, the church is dead. It's asleep and it's going to miss out on the rapture.

Well, then we head into the Church of Philadelphia, which began perhaps at about 1700 AD, some say 1900. Again, there's some variation there, but again, it's enough of a pattern that we can recognize it and consider some of these things.

Philadelphia, of course, means brotherly love. And it was at this time, around 1700 and into the present, that there was a strong evangelical move around the world. And it was also during this time that there became a real missions movement by the church. Prior to this, there wasn't much missionary action. There wasn't a lot going on. But in the later years of our church history, there's been a strong emphasis on

on missions, on spreading the gospel, on reaching out. It began with people like William Carey, George Mueller, you probably remember Jim Elliot, and some of these great missionaries, Hudson Taylor of the past, and it's these guys who have really gone before and paved the way and brought the gospel to the world.

It was also during this period that there was a great spiritual awakening. It's called the Great Awakening. And people like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John Wesley, these guys who were instrumental in bringing forth an opening of the eyes, a spiritual revival that took place.

around the world. And so there was a great work of God. And so Philadelphia is referred to as the faithful church. They were brought back to believing the scriptures, walking with God, loving God, having right relationship with God, reaching out for the lost. It's a church that is on fire. It's a church that is right where God wants them to be. It was also about during this period that the church returned to a literal interpretation of prophecy.

Before that, because of the many different things that were going on with the scriptures and the people didn't have access to it, it was difficult for them to obtain. There was all kinds of allegory. They didn't really believe Bible prophecy that it would literally take place. But it was during this last portion that they began to return to a literal understanding of the prophetic picture and what the Bible said is going to take place.

And then the final church that we look at is Laodicea, the lukewarm church, which, again, 1900 to the tribulation. You could start that date at different points. There's some variation on that. But it's interesting because the church of Laodicea was really a compromising church. They weren't hot. They weren't cold. They were kind of both. They were compromising with the world and compromising in the things of God.

They are rich materially, but not spiritually. Jesus makes a reference to that in Revelation 3.17. And rather than try to look at some characteristics of what's going on and understanding that this church probably exists today, there is a great number of churches and people that are lukewarm, I want to just make reference to what Paul warned Timothy about that the last days would be like. He tells him in 1 Timothy 4.17,

Verse 1, that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits, and their consciences will be seared as with a hot iron. And then in 2 Timothy chapter 3, he tells Timothy that in the last days, perilous times will come. They'll have a form of godliness, but deny its power. That's lukewarmness. They have the outward actions, but there's no power, there's no fire there.

And then also in 2 Peter chapter 4, he says, the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, they will heap up for themselves teachers. And so they won't put up with the truth. They won't put up with sound doctrine. Instead, they'll heap up teachers that tell them what they want to hear.

And it's interesting, the name Laodicea means rule of the people or rights of the people. And so this is the people's church. It's all about the people and they don't put up a sound doctrine. And so they heap up for themselves teachers that tell them the things that they want to hear.

So there's some strong parallels here. Again, these last four churches continue until the end, until the rapture of the church. One of these churches, the church of Philadelphia, is raptured. And that's very clear from Revelation chapter 3. The rest of the churches are not. Perhaps individuals from them are, but as a whole the churches go into the tribulation because they're not right with God, because they're not where they need to be.

And so that's the end of the seven letters, and really it's the end of the church age. And it's at this time as the church age comes to completion that God's time clock, that 490 years, will resume with that last seven year period. But that begins again when the church age is completed.

In Romans 11, verse 25, Paul says, I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. The fullness of the Gentiles. Those...

who will be saved, those of the church age. When the last Christian gets saved, God knows that number, He knows what the fullness is. When that last person gets right with God, then He will return for His church, will be caught up, will be raptured, will be taken out of the way. And then, the blindness on Israel that is occurring right now, that is taking place, will come to an end at the fullness of the Gentiles. And again, then God will continue to

His work within the nation as we are caught up together to meet the Lord. And so that brings us to phase three. We won't spend as much time on these last three phases, by the way, just in case you're worried about time. Phase three, my wife always tells me, man, you spend like 30 minutes just on the first two points and then everybody's freaking out, you know, there's like three points left. What is he going to do? No, no, I'll finish. Don't worry.

Phase three is the seven-year tribulation period. If you're back in Daniel chapter 9, you can look at verse 27. It says, "...then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate."

Here is the final week, the last seven year period. It says, he shall confirm a covenant. The he that he's referring to here is the prince who is to come, from verse 26, who is the Antichrist, that coming world leader that will come on the scene after the church is out of the picture.

And so he, this Antichrist, will confirm a covenant with many for one week, for one seven-year period. This is that last seven-year period that God has determined for the nation of Israel and for the city of Jerusalem.

Sixty-nine of the weeks have already been fulfilled. This last week will be fulfilled after the pause or the gap of the church age, 2,000 plus years. Here is the final week, often referred to as the 70th week of Daniel. And this last seven years begins today.

with a covenant or a treaty or an agreement that is made by the Antichrist and the nation of Israel. Now we're going to spend a lot of time going through this 70th week as we go through Revelation 6 through 19. So I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it this morning. But this seven year period will be terrible. It will be the worst thing that the world has ever experienced. It begins with this covenant in the middle of the seven years, right at three and a half years.

The Antichrist is going to break this covenant and he's going to set up an image of himself within the temple.

Now that means that there's going to be a temple that is built and we see that in the works already and it's exciting. We're seeing these things just on the cusp, right about to begin, right about to happen. And so we know we're very near the end. And so in that middle of the tribulation, he's going to set up that. It's called the abomination of desolation as he sets up that image of himself there in the temple. And then that seven-year period ends with the return of Jesus Christ.

And so this tribulation period is meant to accomplish much. Remember God's to-do list? One of those things has been accomplished already with the coming of Jesus. Well, this seven-year period is going to accomplish the rest. The finishing of transgression, that's what the seven-year period is about. It's about the final putting down of sin. He's going to make an end of sins. Transgression will come to an end as Jesus Christ comes back. He will establish His kingdom and it will be a kingdom of righteousness.

He's going to bring in everlasting righteousness, which I just said. He's going to seal up vision and prophecy. As He establishes His kingdom, then all of the things that we're reading about are going to be fulfilled. And so that's also going to be done. And then anoint the most holy or the most holy place. As the millennial kingdom has the temple, there's going to be an anointing of that most holy place, a restoration of God's presence in the midst of His people.

And so all of these things are going to be accomplished and that last seven year period is what God is using to accomplish His purposes and to finish His to-do list.

So, phase one, 483 years till the Messiah comes. Phase two, we have a gap. It's the church age. Unknown duration. Phase three, we have seven years of tribulation. And then phase four, we have the thousand year millennium. That's where Jesus rules and reigns. He restores the earth. There's peace. There's righteousness. The saints who were raptured return with him to rule and reign with him. It's going to be an incredible time.

We'll deal with that again more as we get into Revelation. So there's this thousand year period and then the great white throne judgment, the final judgment and the final phase, phase five is eternity.

as we head into the things that God has in store for us. God will wipe away every tear. There'll be a new heavens and a new earth. Incredible things that God can't even begin to describe to us because we don't have the imagination or the vocabulary to understand what He has in store. Incredible what God has for us. Now as we conclude our time together this morning, would you turn with me please to Revelation chapter 22.

I know I went through it fast and there's a lot of stuff, but that's why we gave you the handout. Please spend some time. Know and understand these things. God wants you to understand these things and to know the things that are going to take place. In Revelation chapter 22, at the conclusion of the book, Jesus speaks to us again. There in verse 12, it's the final chapter of the final book of the Bible. Revelation 22 verse 12 says,

And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me to give to everyone according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters and whoever loves and practices a lie.

I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star, and the spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him who hears say, Come. And let him who thirsts, Come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Here at the end of the book of Revelation, we have a wonderful conclusion for our time together this morning. And that is Jesus declares, I'm coming quickly. It's going to happen suddenly. I will return at any moment. My reward is with me. Those who are obedient to Him are blessed. As we look forward to all of the things that God has declared are going to happen, it should cause us to be prepared.

It should cause us to prepare our hearts. Blessed are those who do His commands that they might have the right to the tree of life. It should cause us, it should prompt us to draw near to God and to prepare ourselves for those things that are going to take place that we might be blessed, that we might enter into eternity, that we might be ready to meet Jesus when He comes for His church. But there's also a warning there in verse 15. He says, "...outside are dogs or unbelievers."

sorcerers, sexually immoral murderers, idolaters, whoever loves and practices a lie. It's those who are disobedient to God, those who disregard God. They will not be included in God's plan. And so again, it's a call for us to check our hearts, to prepare ourselves to get ready because He is coming quickly. And it ends there in verse 17 with that invitation to come, to come. If you're thirsty, come.

If you're unsatisfied with life, he says, come, let him drink the water of life freely. God offers to us salvation, fulfillment. He offers to us the promise of eternity for free. But we must come to him. He's the one who has what we need. He's the one who can fulfill us and satisfy us. The worship team is going to come up and close us in a song. And as they do, I would just ask you to challenge your heart.

to check your heart. Where do you stand? Are you right with God? And are you ready for these things to unfold? There's going to be some of us up here in the front. After the song, after we worship the Lord together, if you need prayer, if you need to get right with God, something's going on, you need to share it and have us pray with you. We'd love to do that. We'd love to be a part of what God's doing in your life. But let's take this time in this song to just worship the Lord, to get our hearts ready, to draw near to Him.

to recognize that He's the one we need. And as we come to Him, He can satisfy us. He can meet our needs. And He accomplishes His work as we prepare for His return. Let's worship the Lord together. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.