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Main Question: Can we remain faithful to the gospel in the midst of persecution and not deny the name of Christ?

Key Takeaway

Jesus commended the church in Philadelphia for their faithfulness in the midst of persecution and he encouraged them to keep going. He promised to reward them with eternal life with him in the temple of God in the new Jerusalem. 

He next told them that those who were persecuting them would be shown that they were wrong and that they would be vindicated from slander as Jesus revealed to the persecutors that he loves his church. 

He then told them that they would be kept from an hour of trial of God’s wrath being poured out that was to come upon the whole world and promised them that in eternity they would continually be in God’s presence. 

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Main Question: Do we need a wake up call so that we will strengthen weak areas in our Christinan walk that we have negligently and incorrectly assumed are no big deal?

Key Takeaway: We can appear pious and holy on the outside to others but God knows our hearts. He wants our best and he knows when we are taking the easy way out. He also knows that doing so can indicate a lack of love on our part for Him. We can’t allow negligence to erode our spiritual life. We must wake up and strengthen our relationship with God.  

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Main Question
Can we remain faithful when things go badly for us and courageous in the midst of persecution? 

Key Takeaway
Jesus didn’t promise that following Him would be easy. In fact He tells us we must take up our cross and follow Him. Our struggles will come in lots of different forms but we must bear them and remain strong for His glory. If we do, we will have an eternal reward far greater than any sacrifices we make now. 

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Main Question
Does Jesus want his church to be doctrinally strong or loving? He tells us in Revelation chapter 2.

Key Takeaway
Christ wants his church to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” We are also to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Part of loving Him as our Lord means that we also must obey His teachings. He is sovereign and we are not have anyone or anything before Him. If we do this then our reward will be great in heaven. 

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About The Greetings
In Revelation 1:4-8 John gives a greeting to seven churches in Asia from God the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. The greeting lists attributes of all three members of the Trinity. It also tells us rewards for those who follow Jesus but also gives a warning to those who do not.

Takeaway
As awesome and majestic as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are they love and care about us. They sent greetings to the seven churches of Asia, perhaps all Christians, that not only do they love us, but that those who accept Jesus also become part of his kingdom and even priests within it. However, there is no sugar coating that even those who do not accept him will come to know that he is the Almighty.

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Main Question: Why does the Bible use symbols, including symbolic numbers, and how can it help us know more about God?

Takeaway 1- Symbolic Numbers Are Not a Treasure Map

We shouldn’t take symbols beyond their intended descriptive purpose and use them to tell fortunes or interpret omens. God tells us that His thoughts are far beyond ours and that there are things too “wonderful” for our minds to comprehend. It is prideful to take symbols and think we can use them to unlock all knowledge about our almighty God. This is the same prideful spirit that led Eve to eat the fruit in the Garden of Eden so that she could be like God. The warning about this is clear from Deuteronomy 18:10-12.


Takeaway 2- There Is a Place for Both Literalism and Symbolism

We need to pray for the Spirit to lead us in knowing when numbers are literal and when they are symbolic so that we don’t confuse the two. Sometimes numbers might be totally straightforward and should be taken literally at face value. However, There are times when we shouldn’t take the symbolism too literally or we will miss the point. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you in knowing which is which.

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In Daniel chapters 2, 7, and 12 we are told that Daniel was given a vision of things that would happen in the distant future but that he was told to seal up the vision. However, in Revelation 1:1-3 and again in 22:10 John tells us the time is now near and that he has been told not to seal it up but to share it. What happened in the middle that caused this shift?

Thanks for listening and come back for Episode 5- Symbolism

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Summary

Read the word and obey it. Try reading it out loud and see how that changes things. 

Endure any and all hardships even to the point of death

Stay vigilant at all times to your walk with Christ

There is an incredible eternal reward for those who patiently endure suffering for the name of Jesus

Christians may die once but will receive everlasting life

Jesus blood cleanses us so we can have the intimate relationship with God that he planned when He created the world. 

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God chooses throughout scripture to do things in an orderly way. He often passes authority and communicates with us via a chain of command. This episode gives examples of when this happened and discusses why that might be His preference.

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1)Revelation is a book with a lot of references to other scriptures and ideas from both the Old and New Testament scripture. These are Revelation’s Roots. I will discuss Revelation specifically but I will also spend a lot of time on the “root” scriptures that helps us to understand Revelation better. 

2) I am not an expert with any advanced biblical degree. I am merely a fellow traveller who has read the book multiple times and took notes, nothing more.  I am learning as I go and you are welcome to come along for the journey. With that said, I ask for an environment where we can lovingly help each other grow rather than an environment of contentious debate.

3) If you understand all the mysteries of Revelation at the end of this study it won’t be because you learned it from me. I don’t have that breadth of knowledge, so I can’t dispense it. However, it is also possible that you will know more about Revelation at the end than you know now. 

4)  Many Christians have avoided Revelation for too long. Whether it seems too complex or too controversial it is still the word of God. Let’s get started!

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If you'd like to reach out and say hi, you can find Jon at @JonNettles on x.com (formerly Twitter)