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Picture of the Seven Churches (There Were Other Churches in Asia Minor—Troas, Assos, Miletus, Colossae, Hierapolis, Tralles, M

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Picture of the Seven Churches (There Were Other Churches in Asia Minor—Troas, Assos, Miletus, Colossae, Hierapolis, Tralles, M Table of Contents Chapter Page # 1. Introduction to the Seven Churches .......................................................................... 3 2. Revelation and the book The Great Controversy ....................................................... 5 3. Message to Ephesus ................................................................................................... 35 4. The Message to Smyrna ............................................................................................. 41 5. The Message to Pergamum ........................................................................................ 49 6. The Message to Thyatira ............................................................................................ 71 7. The Message to Sardis ................................................................................................ 85 8. The Message to Philadelphia ..................................................................................... 97 9. The Message to Laodicea ........................................................................................... 117 10. The Barren Fig Tree .................................................................................................... 141 11. Additional Study Material on the Judgment Process During the Churches of Philadelphia and Laodicea .......................................................................................... 147 12. The Examination of the Robe ..................................................................................... 159 13. Study on the 1844 Movement (Philadelphia) ............................................................ 169 14. Study on the End Time Philadelphia Movement ........................................................ 179 Contact Information ................................................................................................... 193 ______________________________________________________________________________ Studies in Revelation – The Seven Churches by Pastor Stephen Bohr | Secrets Unsealed.org | Page 2 of 193 “STUDIES IN REVELATION-THE SEVEN CHURCHES” by Pastor Stephen Bohr Lesson #1 - Introduction to the Seven Churches There were many Christian churches in Asia Minor—such as Troas, Assos, Miletus, Colossae, Hierapolis, Tralles and Magnesia, to mention a few. Why, then, were these specific seven chosen? One reason is that they geographically form a candelabrum (see the picture at the end of these notes) and further, they had characteristics that illustrate the condition of the church in seven successive stages of church history until the end of time. Thus, Ellen White stated: “The names of the seven churches are symbolic of the church in different periods of the Christian Era. The number 7 indicates completeness, and is symbolic of the fact that the messages extend to the end of time, while the symbols used reveal the condition of the church at different periods in the history of the word.” AA, p. 585 Relationship between Revelation 1-3 and 21-22 There is a close relationship between Revelation 1-3 and Revelation 21, 22. While Revelation 1- 3 portrays the church militant on earth, Revelation 21-22 portrays the church triumphant in the Eternal kingdom. Most of the promises that Jesus made to the seven churches in chapters 1-3 are repeated and fulfilled and realized in chapters 21-22. Patmos Patmos is an island in the Aegean Sea about 50 miles southwest of Ephesus. It covers an area of about 16 square miles and has no trees or rivers. Patmos was the Alcatraz of the Roman Empire where criminals were sent into exile. The question is: how did the apostle John end up on the island? According to Ellen G. White, the emperor Domitian (AD 81-96) threw John into a cauldron of boiling oil in the hopes of burning him alive but he was preserved, as were the three young men in the fiery furnace: “John was cast into a caldron of boiling oil; but the Lord preserved the life of His faithful servant, even as He preserved the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace.” AA, p. 570 Christian tradition is in harmony with what Ellen White stated. According to Tertullian, John “was plunged into burning hot oil without being hurt and then banished to an island.” Clement of Alexandria added that John was later released by the Roman emperor Nerva and was permitted to return to Ephesus where he became bishop. ______________________________________________________________________________ Studies in Revelation – The Seven Churches by Pastor Stephen Bohr | Secrets Unsealed.org | Page 3 of 193 The Process of Inspiration in the Book of Revelation Revelation 1:1-3 explains that God has a chain of command in the communication of His will to mankind: God gave the message to Jesus Jesus gave the message to the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit gave the message to the angel The angel gave the message to John John wrote the message in a book and sent it to the seven churches The churches were then supposed to share the contents with the world ______________________________________________________________________________ Studies in Revelation – The Seven Churches by Pastor Stephen Bohr | Secrets Unsealed.org | Page 4 of 193 “STUDIES IN REVELATION-THE SEVEN CHURCHES” by Pastor Stephen Bohr Lesson #2 - Revelation and the book The Great Controversy John’s Visionary Experience There is a remarkable parallel between the manner in which John received the book of Revelation and the manner in which Ellen White received the information that she included in The Great Controversy. Let’s take a few moments to draw the parallels beginning with John. Revelation 1:2: John had the testimony of Jesus “Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.” See also 1:9; 21:16 Revelation 22:16; Revelation 2:7: The testimony of Jesus was particularly for the church “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. .” Revelation 1:17: John fell as one dead when he entered the visionary experience “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last. .” More than 50 times in his book John uses the expression “I saw” and God told him “I will show you”. John was shown vivid panoramic views of heavenly realities and of the conflict between good and evil. Revelation 2:11; 22:16: The message was imparted by the Holy Spirit to John through the ministration of an angel “He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.” This is true of the book of Daniel as well. The angel Gabriel was the being who was sent by God to give visions to Daniel. Revelation 1:11 (also 1:19; 19:9; 21:5): John was ordered by the angel to write what he saw while he was in vision ______________________________________________________________________________ Studies in Revelation – The Seven Churches by Pastor Stephen Bohr | Secrets Unsealed.org | Page 5 of 193 “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, what thou seest write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.” Daniel 7:16: Daniel and John both conversed with angels “I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things.” Revelation 10:9 “And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.” Revelation 7:13, 14: John also spoke with beings other than ordinary angels “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me: What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me: These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 1:12: John also conversed with Jesus “And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man. .” Revelation 21:9, 10: John was transported by his angel to faraway places (1:10; 4:2; 17:1, 3; 21:9, 10) “And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” 2 Corinthians 12:2-4: The visionary experience of a prophet who was transported in vision to heaven was so very real that the prophet actually thought that he was physically there. “I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) such a one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.” Revelation 21:10, 11: John struggled for words to describe heavenly realities “And he carried me away in
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