Coming up today, pastor Ray Bentley highlights one of Jesus messages to the seven churches of revelation. Pergamum was called the greatest city in Asia minor. Pergamum represents a period in church history when the church and the state became one and the devil, instead of going for outright victory, decided, well, if I can't conquer them, then maybe my strategy should be to get the church to compromise.

Pastor Ray Bentley says persecution doesn't dampen the growth of the church. Smyrna and the persecution it experienced set the stage for the next 200 years. The church was oppressed and persecuted by the Roman Empire. Ironically, today they say there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 2.5 billion. Whether it be followers of this man, Jesus. Smyrna had the fragrance of Christ

The Bible talks of returning to our first love. Today, pastor Ray Bentley explains what that is. First, love is the love of God. His love is burning. His love is consuming. His love is overflowing. His love is penetrating. His love is dynamic. His love is alive. His love cannot leave whatever it touches. The same as it was. That's the love of God.

Coming up today, pastor Ray Bentley points out the need for fellowship, especially during the last days. You and I, as human beings, were made for community. That's where we function at our best, at our premium, at our highest level. The greatest joy of the Lord is to be in the midst of his people and in the midst of the church.

Pastor Ray Bentley on Prophets and Angels, as explained in revelation. The word angel means messenger. Sometimes the messenger is an angelic being. Sometimes the angel or messenger can be a human being on behalf of God. And the chief mark of a biblical prophet is that he stands in the presence of God and in the presence of angels during the sessions of the Heavenly council spread.

The book of Revelation speaks to our generation today. Pastor Ray Bentley says we need to listen. My hope and my prayer is that pastors and churches would read. Just read the book of Revelation. Do you know the Book of Revelation was meant to be read to the body, to the congregations within the churches? The seven churches and the seven letters was to be read to them, and for the church to hear it and to have the hope of the coming of Christ spreading.

Pastor Ray Bentley points out how we identify with Christ through suffering. Each one of us receives our own cup of suffering. You will only know what you have physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually suffered. That's your cup. But it's to that degree that I drink my own cup that I'm able to identify with him and therefore love and appreciate his love for me and what he did for me there upon the cross spreading.

Pastor Ray Bentley reacquaint us with our identity as kings and priests and loved by our God Most High. You have not even begun to touch the edge of the surface of how much God loves you. You are the focus and the object of the creator of the universe. Love. He has committed himself in a covenant to bless you no matter what it takes.

Today, pastor Ray Bentley reminds us God is timeless. He's in the future. He's in the present. Even in the past. How could God be in the past? Every time you look up at the stars, you're looking at the past. The light you are seeing from those beautiful, twinkling little stars is from a long time ago. It was a long time ago.

God is a verbal God. He is not someone merely to be studied, but he is someone to be heard, a living voice. Today, Pastor Ray Bentley relates that to the Book of Revelation. It is to be read physically with a human voice by the various pastors in the churches, and then the congregation is to hear the voice of their shepherd reading out loud.