Christian believers are frequently mentioned throughout the
book of Revelation. If you want to see the “undercurrents” of God’s love, take
time to notice every mention of Christians.
Repentance is also a frequent theme. As earth
shudders under one disaster after another, God is trying to bring people to
their knees in repentance! God is not willing that any should perish, even in
these last days. If just one more soul is saved, then it’s worth the effort.
The earth is in chaos during the tribulation, but Revelation
gives us rare insight into what’s happening in heaven at the same time! John’s
visions frequently shift back and forth from heaven to earth and back to heaven
again.
There is a profound sense of order in heaven because these
days have been meticulously planned by our righteous God. It is TIME for Jesus
Christ to take control and come for his Church! There is joy in heaven
as souls are gathered and the day of Christ's return is imminent.
In the image above, John receives instructions from the heavenly angel (upper left) and faithfully records a powerful prophecy for each of the seven churches. Each prophecy comes from Jesus himself. The encouragement, advice, admonitions, warnings and blessings given to these seven churches have resounded with all churches and Christians ever since.
IMAGE CREDIT: The Douce Apocalypse is one of several richly illustrated manuscripts of the Apocalypse made in England in the thirteenth century. (Wikimedia Commons)
The seven churches (or assemblies) are: Pergamum, Thyatira,
Sardis, Smyrna, Ephesus, Philadelphia and Laodicea. These seven were located in
what is now Turkey, south of the Black Sea and west of the Aegean Sea. I have
wondered why these seven were chosen for the book of Revelation, out of all the
many Christian churches that existed at the time. Perhaps these seven churches
represented the most common spectrum of typical church problems, because the
messages to each of the churches are still relevant today.