A few weeks ago we were going to look at “What is the Role of the Church in the Book of Revelation”. Then, however, to create a foundation for that topic we decided to post Bible Study notes about some of the Seven Churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation first.
The Seven Churches
We asked the question to which one of the Seven Churches your church belongs to.
Church of Ephesus (the loveless church),
Church of Smyrna (the persecuted church),
Church of Pergamos (the compromising/over tolerant church),
Church of Thyatira (the corrupt church –moral departure),
Church of Sardis (the spiritually dead church),
Church of Philadelphia (the faithful church),
Church of Laodicea (the lukewarm/complacent church).
The “church” is only mentioned in the Book of Revelation in the first 3 chapters and then, not anymore, until in chapter 22 verse 16!
Our role as the church is to first spread the Good News and reach as many unbelievers as possible.
Mark 16:15:
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Matthew 28:18-20:
18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Paul is not ashamed of the gospel – the Good News, and he tells us so:
Romans 1:16-17:
16For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
In Philippians Paul asks us to imitate him. To grow in the knowledge of the Word and be disciples to bring forth the Good News to our families, friends, neighbours and even strangers!
Philippians 3:17
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
Apologetics
Here is a quote from gotquestions.org
“The classic verse promoting apologetics (the defense of the Christian faith) is
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear,
which says that believers are to make a defense “for the hope that you have.” The only way to do this effectively is to study the reasons why we believe what we believe. This will prepare us to “demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ,” as Paul said we should
(2 Corinthians 10:5
“casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”)”.
It looks like I got off on a rabbit trail here. Let’s get back to the role of the church in the Book of Revelation.
Who restrains the Antichrist?
Currently, and in the first 3 chapters of the Book of Revelation the Holy Spirit through the church is restraining the Antichrist from taking over the world. Once the church has been raptured the restrainer will be gone and the Antichrist can reign fully. However, this doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit is totally removed from the earth. Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit will always be everywhere at all times; He will be here to come into the hearts of whoever will accept Christ during the Tribulation.
With that in mind we believe that one role of the church on earth is to restrain the Antichrist through the Holy Spirit and our presence here.
I would like to end this post with a quote from William MacDonald – Believer’s Bible Commentary as an encouragement to everyone:
“Faith in the living God, prayer, and obedience to the word of God are the effective weapons of every true soldier of Jesus Christ.”
OUR FIRST LOVE IS GOD –the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—!
Check out our 3-in-1 Study Guide “Digging Deep into the Revelation of Jesus Christ”. It’s a one-of-a-kind reference for anyone striving to understand the Book of Revelation in the Bible.
This study guide for the Book of Revelation is revolutionary and unique in that it contains on each page the original scripture, the commentary on that scripture, the actual Bible verses referenced in the commentary, and the commentary on these references in 4 columns side by side.
Through the format and contents, the reader is able to find comprehensive information in a few minutes versus spending an hour looking up cross-references to find meaning in challenging text.
For someone studying Revelation, this one reference saves time and enhances understanding without making the mistake of translating scripture. This enables the reader to make his/her own conclusions about the meaning in the Word as inspired by God.
All Scripture quoted is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
