In His Grip

In this message Dr. Betters moves on to examine the letter to the church at Smyrna. Unlike all the other letters from Christ to the seven churches, this is the only letter that does not contain a rebuke.  This letter is one of encouragement, reassurance, and hope in the face of trial and suffering. Join Dr. Betters as he uncovers the rich history of the city of Smyrna and its people, the specific message from Christ to this church, and the application to those today in the midst of pain and suffering.

In August 1999 I sat by myself on my living room couch. Alone. Scared. I tried to piece together what 13 years of sexual addiction had just torn apart. My life was unraveling and I couldn’t harness my out of control behaviors. I remember thinking I might be better off dead than alive. As I sat there I had a lot to consider. I was a sex addict. (From 2.bebroken.com) Exposure to pornography at the age of 12 was Jonathan’s first step downward into the abyss of sexual addiction. Listen as Jonathan describes that downward spiral and what turned his heart toward healing and a redeemed marriage.

If at the end of your life you were able to travel back in time and visit yourself much earlier in life, what would you tell yourself?  What commendation or encouragement would you give? What warning or exhortation would you stress? What essential wisdom or knowledge would you emphatically share?  Much of scripture serves this purpose to a degree. Scripture is not some type of dusty account of history. Likewise, Christ’s seven letters to the seven churches are timeless.  These letters are important messages for the church today as much as they were for each church then. However, don’t make the mistake to think these letters are written to the church as a whole without any direct personal application.  Dr. Betters continues in the study of the first letter to the church at Ephesus and digs into the significance not only to the church today but also to you and me.

The framework of the seven progressive parallel sections in the book of the Revelation were established in the previous message.  Now Dr. Betters begins the detailed analysis of the first parallel section which covers God’s messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor.  These seven churches were actual active churches of the day. However, the same characteristics of these churches are also found in churches throughout the ages and even in the churches of today. In this message, Dr. Betters focuses on the first message to the church at Ephesus.

Up until this point in the study of the book of Revelation, Dr. Betters has evaluated the four major views or systems of interpreting this book as well as the questions raised about the millennium period, when the great tribulation will occur, whether Christians will have to endure that tribulation, and an analysis of the signs leading up to the second coming of Christ.  In this message Dr. Betters goes into greater detail behind the style or manner in which the book was written. He explains how it cannot be read and understood as an unfolding or unveiling of events in chronological order but as a revelation using progressive parallelism. Dr. Betters will show how the unveiling of Jesus Christ and His second coming is best understood as seven parallel and progressively intensifying accounts.

The second coming of Christ is mentioned over 300 times in the New Testament alone. Only the doctrine of salvation is mentioned more times than the doctrine of Christ’s second coming.  We can be sure He is coming again but the ‘when’ of His coming has many Christians scratching their heads. The Bible says no one knows the day or hour but it speaks very clearly that there will be certain signs that will presage His second coming.  Listen carefully as Dr. Betters examines the scriptures that point to the events and signs that signal Christ’s second coming.

Remember playing in the sand, your back to the ocean, oblivious of the huge waves heading toward you? Suddenly, a mountain of raging water crashes over your body and not only slams you body into the sand but before you can catch a breath, another huge wave pulls you out to into a rip tide. Andrea Maher experienced tumultuous life events that threatened to pull her under a raging ocean of grief, shattered dreams and hopelessness. Her oldest son’s battle with drug addiction ended when drug induced hypothermia took his life. Several years later, her youngest son made a decision that would forever change his life and resulted in imprisonment. How does a mother not just survive but find hope and joy when a tsunami of grief repeatedly slams her deeper into an abyss of sorrow? In this transparent conversation Andrea shares her story as a means of offering help and hope to others slammed by life, who are holding on by their

From Dr. Chuck Betters' series Unveiling and Understanding Revelation.

Scripture teaches us as Christians we will suffer and face trials of many kinds due to our faith.  We have and we will suffer for righteousness sake. But what about the suffering and persecution during the end times known as ‘the’ great tribulation?  Will we suffer the wrath of God? If the Church does not escape the great tribulation through the secret rapture as many wrongly believe, what hope does the Church have?  Please join us in this message as Dr. Betters continues to answer these questions and focuses on the grace of God which will enable us to experience the peace that passes all human understanding and the knowledge that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.

From Dr. Chuck Betters' series Unveiling and Understanding Revelation.