Bent Oak Church

The Seven Trumpets are an image of God's judgment. Reading about wrath is a difficult topic. We prefer to talk about love and acceptance.But God's wrath and his love are not as opposed as we usually think about them. In fact, the very act of God's wrath is also an act of his love. Revelation helps us recognize it.

The lamb has the scroll and in it, the mysteries of God locked up by these seven seals. These seven seals are the history of suffering, war, and poverty—they are the human experience. The experience that for many has made faith a struggle.Like the martyrs who cry out from beneath the throne, "how much longer," how can God say he is in control when evil and suffering seem to be the real experience of history. The bible isn't naive or cliche about that struggle. It sets the human experience of suffering right down beside the image of the throne.

Chapters four and five are John's second vision. Before he had watched as Christ walked amongst the churched—on the ground. Now John's attention is turned upward to an open door. Stepping through it, he finds himself at the throne of God. What is happening there is far more important than how it appears. John finds himself caught up in worship. It gives us one of the most important images of worship in scripture. Worship is not something we initiate but something we are invited to participate in. That makes a big difference.

The church at Laodicea was rich and self-sufficient. They had convinced themselves they were content. But their contentment was a flimsy, self-constructed, Godless pride.Jesus has strong words for this church, but he reproves those he loves and he holds open the possibility that this church may hear his knock and allow him in.

The church at Philadelphia was up against a lot. Jewish persecution, Roman disdain, a town that was being abandoned and under constant risk. But in the midst of it was this congregation of believers. Jesus tells them that he has set a door of opportunity before them; all they must do is believe with patient endurance. That request is hard when we want to take charge and create our own opportunities.

The city of Sardis was not what it used to be. It was a place out of the limelight of Rome. Being a Christian in Sardis was easier than other places.That had earned the Sardis church a reputation for being alive—blessed. But Jesus saw through it. Their spiritual apathy had left them dead.

Brad Lombardi shares about MWBx and Jesus' parable of persistence in prayer. Be encouraged never to give up trusting and believing that God is at work doing good.

The church at Thyatira was alive to God. Jesus commended them for their increasing spiritual zeal. But he had one thing against them. They had allowed a false teacher to lead them into idolatry. The teacher's pitch was access to deeper things, spiritual secrets, and hidden knowledge. Jesus offered an alternative, "only hold on to what you already have."

The church at Pergamum continued to follow Christ, but increasingly it was a private faith. They were falling under false teaching that justified private faithfulness and public accommodations. But true faithfulness makes no distinctions between public and private.

The church at Smyrna is the only one that still exists today. In modern day Izmir, Turkey, a small congregation still worships. They face pressure and persecution just like their founders.Jesus has nothing negative to say about this church, but he does warn them that they are about to face suffering. In reality, we all are—sometime in some way. So what do we do when we suffer? How do we live out Jesus' command, "Don't be afraid."