In Genesis 12:4-9 Abram makes it to Canaan. His faith is seen in his simple obedience to the command of God. As he enters the land, God promises He will give the land to his descendants. This promise ultimately points to the restoration of fellowship mankind had with God in Eden. Such a promise naturally leads Abram to worship God, and it ought to do the same for us.

Our culture prizes tolerance as the highest of virtues. Christ, however, calls toleration of evil a great sin.

At the end of Genesis 12:2 Abraham is commanded to be a blessing. This marks a shift in the promises of God to Abraham. They are now focused on others. Abraham receives blessings from God that he might bless others. It is through the blessings given to Abraham that the entire world would be saved as in him all the nations of the earth are blessed. Those who bless Abraham throughout the world are blessed and those who curse him are cursed. Blessing Abraham entails faith in Christ and is manifested in love for the church, the true seed of Abraham.

In the letter to Pergamum Christ warns of false teachers who promote idolatry and sexual immorality. Though the church withstood opposition well from the outside, it was failing to combat the enemies from within. As the culture becomes more antithetical to the faith, we must be aware of both attacks from the devil.

In Genesis 12:1-3 Abraham receives great blessings from the Lord that fall into two parts. The first part deals with the blessings Abraham himself would receive. These include being made into a great nation, being blessed, and being given a great name. The gospel is contained in these blessings with Jesus Christ himself being given the highest name of all.

The church at Smyrna was faithful. As with Philadelphia there is nothing bad said about it. They are, however, about to undergo great persecution. It is only through much suffering that we can enter into the kingdom of God. Let us not deceive ourselves but remember the path laid out before us is one where we must pick up our cross and follow Christ.

In Genesis 12:1-3 Abraham is called out of Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. This movement from "Babylon" to Canaan is the call of the gospel. If you leave all that is dear for sake of Christ, you will receive great blessing from God as you walk in the footsteps of the faith of Abraham.

In the letter written to the church in Ephesus, Christ has much to commend this seemingly faithful church for. There is one problem however: they have forgotten their first love. We are reminded that without love for Christ, there is nothing that we can do as Christians that is acceptable to God.

In Isaiah 66:15-24 Isaiah gloriously concludes his prophecy with a final appeal. There will be a great division between the godly and the ungodly. By describing this great difference Isaiah exhorts his readers to follow Christ and so attain to the blessings of the New Heavens and the New Earth. His description also contains a glorious prophecy of the preaching of the gospel among the nations in the time of Christ. This "Fifth Gospel," like the others, ends with the commission to preach among the nations.

In Revelation 1:9-20 John hears a voice and is confronted with the glory of the speaker. Why heed the revelation found in this book? Because the one who gives it is incomprehensibly glorious. He is the radiantly pure high priest by whom we approach God. He is the judge of all the earth whose eyes are like flames of fire and from whose mouth comes a sharp two edged sword. His appearance is like the sun shining in all its strength; and he is the gracious one who bids us not to fear.