In light of the Ephesian church’s significant strengths (Rev. 2:2-3), it is surprising that she has allowed herself to slip into an area of weakness that could be her undoing. Revelation 2:4 says, “But I have this against you, that…
Historic premillennialism is a view that was championed by George Ladd and is therefore commonly associated with him. Ladd was primarily responding to dispensationalism. The adjective “historic” in historic premillennialism refers to Ladd’s contention that some early Church Fathers were…
The dispensational premillennialist camp has been quite influential in Evangelical circles. Dispensational interpreters are known for four emphases. First, they emphasize the pretribulational rapture of the church. According to this view, “Christ’s return will occur in two stages: the first…
When most Christians think about the book of Revelation, they think about the book as a prophecy of the end events and the second coming of Christ. They may or may not realize that even futurist interpreters disagree over which…
Revelation as a Book of Theology and Guidance for the Christian Life Now The idealist approach differs radically from the historicist. It would be attractive to someone who is tired of conflicting attempts to pinpoint how Revelation is fulfilled in…
THE END IS NEAR! Most of us are familiar with examples of the historicist approach. This is an easily abused approach to the book of Revelation. According to historicists, the end is near and we can see this by looking…
Revelation yields tremendous truths for living and for a Christian worldview. Like some other parts of Scripture, it does not yield these truths apart from careful study. Taken on its own, Revelation is a challenge for Christian readers. They often…
The Spiritual Blindness of a Wealthy Church The letter to Laodicea provides a challenging conclusion to the seven letters. It has a distinct resemblance to God’s word through Old Testament prophets like Isaiah. The people of God at Laodicea need…
Repentance and Renewal of Fellowship with Jesus As noted above, the Laodicean church first needs Jesus to relieve their blindness to their sin. Then, they need to repent of their sin and seek his forgiveness and cleansing from sin. In…
The Church’s Spiritual Poverty and Blindness In Revelation 3:17, Jesus clarifies his source of dissatisfaction with the Laodicean church. He says, “Because you are saying, ‘I am rich,’ and ‘I have become rich,’ and ‘I am in need of nothing,’…