The Strand Study Bible

Written From the Island of Patmos REVELATION so that he has no spiritual perception (Dan 5:20, Isa 14:12-14, Ezk 28:14-17 and Mk 6:52 & 8:17-21), the sin of indifference mutes the hearing of the believer so that the truths of God fall on deaf ears, and we become numb to our own spiritual shortcomings ( Mk 7:18 ). 3:16 God does not want Christians to get too “comfortable” ( lukewarm ) with their surroundings (I Jn 2:15-17). That is why He would rather we be too hot or too cold. 3:17 David Wilkerson, pastor at Times Square Church in New York City, in his monthly pamphlet called The World Challenge Pulpit Series (Feb. 18, 2008), notes: The main alcohol in our society –the sedative that most people drink from today –is prosperity. And Christians indulge freely in this drink. 1 Gary E. Gilley in I Just Wanted More Land notes: John warned us that “materialism” ( I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing ) would worm its way into the local church right before the return of Jesus. If the description of the church of Laodicea doesn’t depict the local church of today, I don’t know what does. The local church today seems more interested in building their church than His Church, more interested in building a business than building a ministry ( Acts 6:3 ). Yet the only “temple” God needs to accomplish His purpose of reaching a lost world for Jesus is the Christian (I Cor 6:19-20). God doesn’t need multimillion dollar temples and/or programs to accomplish His work ( Zech 1:16 ); He needs Christians who are willing to give Him their “temples” in order to take the Gospel message to a lost world. John MacArthur in Ashamed of the Gospel notes: 2151 What the church is experiencing today, I believe, is the beginning of the fallout that inevitably accompanies an abandonment of truth. In order to become successful, the church-growth gurus have convinced us that we must go easy on truth and heavy on things the consumer desires, such as self-fulfillment, entertainment, and prosperity. 2 Sadly, it appears more and more Christian churches are leaning toward “piling themselves up” within ornate buildings for the purpose of sanctification rather than obeying the command of Christ to save the world through evangelism ( Mt 28:19a ). A brief reminder concerning Church history would do today’s Christian well. The initial Church that Christ started 2,000 years ago didn’t even own property for the first 300-400 years of its existence. Graydon F. Snyder in Ante Pacem: Archaeological Evidence of Church Life Before Constantine notes: Early Christians undoubtedly met in private homes (Colossians 4:15), though it should not be forgotten that Christians, like the Jews (Acts 16:13), also met in open places (Pliny, Letters , 117), markets, and hired halls (Acts 20:8). There is no literary evidence nor archaeological indication that any such home was converted into an extant church building. Nor is there any extant church that certainly was built prior to Constantine. Consequently, we have no evidence regarding the intentional structure of a Christian meeting place prior to the "peace." 4 The Church before Constantine (the peace - 324-337) didn’t pool all their resources into physical temples; they pooled them into spiritual temples (disciples – I Cor 9:7-14). Those “ temples ” then turned the world upside down for Jesus (Acts 17:6). David Wilkerson goes on to note: Life is good for most people, including Christians, and the focus is on how to keep the good times rolling on. Like Lot’s wife, many are possessed by their possessions. They have become addicted to the things of this world, and in their minds Jesus’ coming would be disruptive. 1 Like John, Jesus ( Lk 18:8 - point #1), Peter (II Pet 3:3-4) and Paul (I Tim 4:1-2) also predicted that such a day would come right before the return of CHRIST . 3:21 a Christians who “overcome” the Devil, the world, and the flesh and remain faithful to Jesus will experience great comfort someday (the meaning behind: will I grant to sit with me in my throne - I Jn 5:4-5 and Rev 2:7 ). 3:21 b Just as CHRIST overcame the world ( even as I also overcame ) by finishing what He set out to do (Jn 16:33), so we can become “over comers” by finishing our race for God. 3:22 According to Revelation 13:9, both the SPIRIT and the Church disappear after verse 22. The reason for this is obvious. The Church has been removed because of the event of the Rapture (Dan 9:24-27, I Thess 4:13-5:9 and I Cor 15:51-53). 1 Wilkerson, David. "The World Challenge Pulpit Series." worldchallenge.org . February 18, 2008. 2 Gilley, Gary E. I Just Wanted More Land , Fairfax, VA, Xulon Press, 2001. Print. 3 MacArthur, John. Ashamed of the Gospel : Wheaton, ILL, Crossway Books, 1993, 2010. Print. 4 Snyder, Graydon F. Ante Pacem: Archaeological Evidence of Church Life Before Constantine . Mercer University Press. 1985. Print. Sadly, the present generation knows less about the return of Christ than any generation in the past. Jesus’ coming is seldom preached in churches anymore. Indeed, multitudes who call themselves Christians don’t want to hear about the subject. Why? I was privileged to make numerous trips to the former Soviet Union, teaching groups of pastors and preaching in Russian and Ukrainian churches. I went at the behest of Soviet Baptists and formed relationships with them that endure strongly to this day. During my earliest visits to that part of the world, I was absolutely amazed to see the strength and vitality of evangelical churches there. Their worship services were the very picture of austere simplicity–just the preaching of the Word and the celebration of the ordinances, totally devoid of the flash and entertainment being touted as essential tools for the times by all the “experts” back home. That got me thinking more deeply than ever about how the Lord builds His church and what it means to be a wise master builder (1 Cor. 3:10-15). 3