[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

The Meaning of Revelation’s Churches—Revealed!

The Book of Revelation is a mystery for many. Yet, the word revelation means “revealing, making known something previously unknown.” Are you intimidated by it, finding it impossible to understand, preferring rather to put it on that proverbial shelf? If so, today’s Tomorrow’s World program is for you.

Many are familiar with the four horsemen of Revelation, the book often referred to as “The Apocalypse,” but what about the seven letters to the seven churches in Asia, as recorded in chapters 2 and 3? These letters have puzzled scholars and lay members alike for more than 1,900 years. Do these letters have some special meaning for you and me?

The answer is, yes, and that is the subject of today’s program. Now stay with me, as I’ll be back in five seconds to explain the seven letters to the seven churches of Revelation.

Five Vital Questions for Understanding Revelation

A warm welcome to all of you from those of us here at Tomorrow’s World, where we bring you the good news that Jesus proclaimed of the Kingdom of God, explain the prophecies of the Bible, and make sense of the world in which we live. On today’s program, we’ll open the biblical book of Revelation, and discover the significance of the seven messages given to seven churches.

The first verse of this book gives us answers to five vital questions:

Who can open our understanding of the book?

What is the source of its message?

Who is the intended audience?

When do its prophecies begin?

And,

Who is commissioned to take the message to its intended audience?

So, let’s begin by reading Revelation 1, verse 1, where we read the answers to our five questions:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ [Jesus Christ is the One who reveals the message], which God gave Him [God the Father is the Originator of the message] to show His servants [so the message is not primarily to the world, but to the servants of God]—things which must shortly take place [the events prophesied would soon begin]. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John [the Apostle John is to take the message to God’s servants] (Revelation 1:1).

We see from these opening verses that Jesus Christ is the One who unveils the message, that the message comes from God the Father, that the message is intended for God’s servants, and that John is given the responsibility to carry the message to those servants. But, as rich as this opening verse is, it does not reveal the theme of the book. For that, we must turn to verse 10, where John writes:

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet (Revelation 1:10).

What is the meaning of being “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day”? Almost all translators and commentaries erroneously promote the idea that, “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,” means that John was worshiping on Sunday; but there is a huge problem with this. To claim the expression “Lord’s day” means Sunday, is flawed on multiple fronts. If it were talking about a day of the week, which it’s not, it could not be Sunday.

If the Bible is our source, we find that not once does it identify Sunday, the first day of the week, as belonging to the Lord. On the contrary, it tells us three times that Jesus is “Lord of the Sabbath.” Notice:

Matthew 12:8—For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

Mark 2:28—Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.

and

Luke 6:5—The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.

So, according to the Bible, if the Lord’s day is a day of the week, it is not the first day of the week—not Sunday; but the seventh day—Saturday. However, the statement, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day,” has nothing to do with any day of the week. The book shows that John was projected forward in vision to the day of the Lord, a time referred to more than 30 times in the scriptures, in both the Old and New Testaments.

The first six chapters of Revelation set the stage for the theme. In Chapter 4, John sees a vision of God, the Originator of the Revelation, on His heavenly throne. Chapter 5 describes Revelation written on a scroll that is locked with seven seals. It also explains in this chapter that the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is the only one capable of opening these seals. We then read in the sixth chapter how He opens six of the seven seals. The first four seals are the famous four horsemen. The fifth seal pictures a martyrdom of some of God’s servants. Then comes the sixth seal—the terrifying heavenly signs:

And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:13–17).

These six seals, all opened within a short chapter, are preludes to the theme of Revelation, the day of God’s wrath on rebellious mankind. This wrath is explained by the seventh seal, which is made up of seven trumpet plagues.

So we see in chapter 4 and 5 the Originator of Revelation, the One who can open the scroll to our understanding, and the opening of six seals that bring us to the theme of the book, but what about the servants of God? Who are they?

The Churches in Asia Minor—Their Symbolic Meaning

In this portion of the program, I’ll show that those servants are defined by the seven churches as described in chapters two and three.

William Ramsay wrote a highly respected book titled—The Letters to the Seven Churches of Revelation. There is a lot of excellent information in it, but Professor Ramsay missed the key element. Instead of realizing that the seven churches define that intended audience, and are an integral element for the entire book, he sees the letters as an afterthought. As he writes on page 35:

In this work, Jewish in origin and general plan… there is inserted this episode of the Seven Letters, which appears to be almost entirely non-Jewish in character…. The reason was that the form of letters had already established itself as the most characteristic expression of the Christian mind, and as almost obligatory on a Christian writer. (Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches, pp. 35–36)

Ramsay goes on to speculate as to the reason for inserting these letters, suggesting that they were an afterthought, rather than critical to understanding the book.

In the subsequent development of St. John’s thought it is plain that he had recognized the inadequacy and insufficiency of the fashionable Jewish literary forms. It seem highly probable that the perception of that fact came to him during the composition of the Revelation, and that the Seven Letters, though placed near the beginning and fitted carefully into that position, were the last part of the work to be conceived (Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 36).

He then makes this incredible statement on page 37:

The Apocalypse [Revelation] would be quite complete without the Seven Letters (Ramsay, The Letters to the Seven Churches, p. 37).

In other words, Ramsay speculates that the letters were an afterthought, that John realized that the composition of Revelation lacked the most common means of transmitting information in the New Testament—that is by written letters. But were these letters an afterthought as Ramsay speculates? Is the book, as he wrote:

… quite complete without the Seven Letters?

John is told to take the revealed message to the servants of God. So, where are these servants to be found? Even if scholars don’t understand, you can! Does that sound too arrogant? Or is that not what Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:25:

At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes (Matthew 11:25).

Here are four keys that reveal the mystery of the seven letters.

Key #1: The servants of God and the Seven Churches are the same.

Notice once again John’s commission found in chapter one and in verse 1:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants [that is the audience]—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John (Revelation 1:1).

Yes, the message is to go to the servants of God. So where does John go? The answer is found in verse 4:

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia (Revelation 1:4).

So, even before we know which churches these are, John immediately addresses them. Furthermore, John is commanded to record in a book what he sees, and send it to these seven churches—that is, the whole message of Revelation, not the letters only.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,”

and

“What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea” (Revelation 1:11).

In other words, the message is to go to the servants of God, and John is to take it to seven churches in Asia. Is it not obvious that the servants of God and the seven churches are the same? This is confirmed in the last chapter of Revelation. In a sense, the connection between the servants of God and the Seven Churches is bookended by the first and last chapters. Notice Revelation 22, and verses 6 and 16:

Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place….

And then in verse 16:

I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches (Revelation 22:6, 16).

So, key #1 is:

Key #1: The servants of God and the Seven Churches are the same.

Servants and churches are used interchangeably—they are synonymous—but note that not all Christian congregations in Asia are mentioned. Nowhere does the book introduce any other congregation than these seven. Obviously, there is something special or significant about them.

So we must wonder: Why these churches? Why only seven if they are the servants of God? Does that mean that none of the other congregations of the first century were God’s servants? What about today? Are we somehow left on the outside of being God’s servants? Not at all.

Key #2: There is a special relationship between these seven and Jesus Christ.

We now come to a remarkable vision. Following a trumpet sound and the listing of the seven churches, we read, beginning in verse 12:

Then I [John] turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band…. He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength (Revelation 1:12–13, 16).

What does this vision mean? We can be thankful that we don’t have to speculate, because verse 20 explains it:

The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels [or messengers] of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches (Revelation 1:20).

As we have seen, the churches and the servants of God are synonymous, and Christ is seen walking amongst them. Mysterious? Yes. Impossible to comprehend? No.

A Prophetic Message for Future Christians

In the previous portion of this program, we saw two vital keys to understand these prophecies.

Key #1: The servants of God and the Seven Churches are the same.

And it is evident from the vision of the glorified Christ walking in the midst of seven lampstands that represent the churches, that:

Key #2: There is a special relationship between these seven and Jesus Christ.

There’s a third key that should be obvious by now, something that William Ramsay, who speculated that the letters to these churches were an afterthought, clearly missed. So,

Key #3: The entire book of Revelation is addressed to the seven churches.

John is instructed to take the message of the book to the servants of God. As we’ve seen, the servants and the churches are the same. It therefore follows, that the whole book of Revelation is for the seven churches. This is confirmed, as we saw earlier, in the last chapter of Revelation. For review, I’ll repeat that here:

Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place…. I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches (Revelation 22:6, 16).

There is a fourth important key, but before I give that, let’s notice two easy to understand lessons that are generally understood about these letters. The first one is that these were real church congregations and the messengers to each of them described conditions that existed at that time. So, when Ephesus is told that it had lost its first love, that was a problem in that first century congregation located in Ephesus.

The second takeaway is understood from this refrain that is given to each of them:

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches (Revelation 2:7).

The admonition is not to that church alone, but to the churches—plural. A condition that exists in one congregation could also affect congregants in any of the others. The difference being that the condition mentioned dominated that church. In the example of the church in Laodicea, a lukewarm spirit prevailed, but the admonition to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches,” indicates that this same lukewarm attitude could be found among some in the other congregations. This is mostly how ministers down through the centuries have understood these letters. As a teenager, I remember a chaplain giving a seven-part series of sermons on this subject.

But, our fourth key is something that has not been generally understood and is perhaps the most important of all the keys. Let’s go back to the last part of verse 1 and all of verse 2, where John is given three sources of information that he was to record.

And He [God] sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, who [#1] bore witness to the word of God, and [#2] to the testimony of Jesus Christ, [and #3] to all things that he saw (Revelation 1:1–2).

We have already seen that John was commanded to do number three—write in a book what he saw and send it to the Seven Churches. But he was also to record the word of God [that is, references to the Old Testament scriptures], and the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The testimony of Jesus Christ, is of course, what Jesus spoke, but what He spoke in Revelation is prophetic in nature. We read in chapter 19:10:

Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

If you have a red-letter Bible, the red letters are what the translators believe were the direct words of Jesus. And where do you find the overwhelming majority of Christ’s words in Revelation? If you guessed the letters to the seven churches—you guessed correctly. In other words, these letters have prophetic significance.

And it is evident from studying the book that the subject matter began in John’s day and yet ends in our future. So, in addition to recording conditions in the very real first century congregations, and warnings of attitudes that can apply to anyone,

Key #4: The letters to the seven churches are prophetic.

Why is this important to understand?

Living in the Last Days

Our resource—God’s Church Through the Ages—describes seven stages through which the true church of God would progress from the first century until the return of Christ. As the author of this resource, the late John Ogwyn, explains:

When we look at the context of the book of Revelation, we must recognize that it is primarily intended as a prophecy. Revelation 1:1 shows that the book’s purpose is to show to God’s servants things that would soon begin to happen. Thus the seven churches should primarily be understood as representing the entire history of God’s Church in seven successive eras (pp. 20–21).

Why is this not generally understood? It’s not that others have not tried to trace the history of the Church through seven distinct stages, but they fail in these efforts. Why? The answer is simple. They try to shoehorn mainstream Christianity into these scriptures, and mainstream Christianity simply does not fit. Put another way, they are looking for the answer in the wrong place.

We here at Tomorrow’s World want to bring you the good news that Jesus proclaimed, explain the prophecies of the Bible, and make sense of the world in which we live.

So if you found this video helpful and want to learn more about this subject, be sure to get your free copy of our study guide God’s Church Through the Ages. Just click the link in the description and it will be sent to you completely free of charge.

And remember to like and subscribe to our channel so you can watch more videos on different Bible topics.

Thanks for watching! See you next time.

[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]

Mankind’s Purpose and Destiny

On November 15, 2022, the United Nations announced a major historic event. For the first time in recorded history, the world population reached 8 BILLION human beings. What is the future of these 8 billion people? Are we to just “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die” as the old English idiom states? Regular viewers of Tomorrow’s World know biblical prophecies foretelling mankind’s self-destruction in the future Great Tribulation. Thank God that He will intervene to save humanity from cosmocide. But what is YOUR purpose in life?

Many evolutionists will say that the purpose of life is self-preservation, self-perpetuation, and self-determination. Those motives are certainly a part of human nature. But is survival the only meaning and purpose for life? Can you truly know your REAL purpose for living? Is there life beyond death? Why were you born? What is your ultimate destiny? My friends, you need to answer the question, “Why are you alive?”

Join us on Tomorrow’s World for amazing answers to the most important questions in life!

Materialism Provides No Answers

Warm greetings to all our friends around the world!

For thousands of years, philosophers have proposed answers to the question, “What is the meaning of life?” And that is a question we all should be able to answer.

Much of today’s world has embraced an evolutionary worldview. And many materialists and evolutionists say there is no transcendental purpose of life. For example, the famous American astronomer and cosmologist Carl Sagan, thought that humans, in the grand scheme of the universe, are almost insignificant. When the space probe Voyager 1 photographed an image of planet Earth in our solar system, Carl Sagan, considering this “pale blue dot” as he called it, made a striking comment: “Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves” (Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space, 1994, p. 9).

Sagan wrote that planet earth is a “lonely speck” in the cosmic dark. Must we then conclude that we are so insignificant as to be meaningless? Then why does the universe exist? Has it no purpose? Is the universe and our part in it meaningless? The Creator of the universe has a sober warning to atheists. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:18, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that THEY ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:18–21).

This atheistic philosophy admits that it cannot or will not answer the question, “What is the purpose and meaning of life?” On the other hand, Nobel Prize winner Sir John Eccles clearly saw significant meaning in the creation. Sir John Eccles was, at the time, perhaps the world’s foremost authority on the mind and brain. The observations of this distinguished scientist about the meaning and purpose of life are very profound. He was interviewed for a World Tomorrow TV Program back in the 1980s. Sir John Eccles said: “I would say that the meaning… has to come back to the Creator.… One has to believe that there’s more behind all this, from our very existence as creating selves to what we do and how we live in what I like to think, in an altruistic society—caring and loving one another, living for one another, building a new world of love and inspiration and dedication and sacrifice—ah, building such a world. The meaning of all this, I think, is in the mind of the Creator. You see… as soon as you get away from materialism, ah, you have wonderful opportunities. You’ve left being tied down in materialism, stuck in materialism.”

Sir John Eccles could clearly see the strong limitations of materialism. One definition of materialism is: “a theory that physical matter is the only or fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be explained as manifestations or results of matter” (Merriam Webster Online). No! Physical matter is NOT the only reality. I encourage you to view our TV Program or read our Tomorrow’s World article, “What is the Greatest Reality?” The atheistic, materialist philosophy admits that it cannot or will not answer the question, “What is the purpose and meaning of life?”

Transformed to Become God’s Family

The ancient Greek philosophers came up with a wide range of answers to the questions, purposes, and meaning of life. The 4th century B.C. saw the rise of three principal schools of thought in Greece: Epicureanism, Stoicism, and Skepticism.

The Apostle Paul was quite familiar with these ancient schools of thought. He visited Athens about A.D. 50. If you have your Bible, turn to Acts 17. ACTS 17:18, “Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him [the Apostle Paul]. And some said, ‘What does this babbler want to say?’ Others said, ‘He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,’ because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus [that’s Mars’ hill], saying, ‘May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?’” (vv. 18–19).

Paul then proclaimed to them the Creator God, who made the world and everything in it. And he made this fundamental, yet ASTOUNDING OBSERVATION in verse 28: “… for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’” (Acts 17:28).

In Him we live and move and have our being! Our entire existence, Paul tells us, is intimately tied to the Creator God! Even the Greek poets knew we are God’s “offspring,” His children. Paul knew that human life can have no real meaning or purpose apart from God! Yes, we were created to have a special relationship with our Creator. It’s the VERY FOUNDATION of a meaningful life! The Messiah, Jesus Christ, also affirmed this highest purpose in life. A lawyer asked Him, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Turn in your Bible to Matthew 22:37. Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40).

That relationship leads to a change from selfish human nature, to a loving spiritual nature. God wants us to be born into his immortal family. The Bible explains that ultimate transformation takes place at the resurrection from the dead. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, is the firstborn from the dead (Revelation 1:5)! He is the firstborn of MANY BRETHREN as it tells us Romans 8:29. God’s children will be transformed from mortal to immortal at the resurrection, as it states in 1 Corinthians 15:53. Yes, you have an opportunity to belong to an immortal family, to be a part of God’s kingdom and royal family. Remember, Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Yes, your Bible reveals the real purpose and meaning of life. Bible prophecy outlines the future of the world and the future of humanity. That future also reveals your purpose and meaning in life. Jesus Christ came with a message called the gospel, which means “good news.” That message is emphasized in the heavenly announcement of Revelation 11:15, “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

Thank God that He has a plan to save mankind from total cosmocide! We are headed toward World War III and Armageddon if we as nations and individuals do not change our way of life! Beyond Armageddon, God has promised a new age to come. That new age will begin with the return of Jesus Christ to this earth, and the establishment of His kingdom over all nations! Revelation 5:10 and Revelation 20:6 reveal that our calling and purpose in that kingdom is to rule as kings and priests with the King of kings, Jesus Christ, for a thousand years here on earth! What else has God promised faithful Christians? What is your destiny beyond death? Turn in your Bible to Matthew 25:34, “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’”

My friends, faithful Christians, and that could include you, will inherit the Kingdom of God! The prophet Daniel also confirms that promise: DANIEL 7:18, “But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” Notice, “forever and ever.” Yes, faithful Christians will inherit eternal life! My friends, that is just a small part of the glorious destiny God has planned for you!

The amazing truth is that your potential future is grand, magnificent, and transcendent beyond what you can imagine! We get a hint of this plan when Jesus’ mother and brothers attempted to visit Him when He was visiting a large group of people. Matthew 12:46, “While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, ‘Look, Your mother and [Your] brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.’ But He answered and said to the one who told Him, ‘Who is My mother and who are My brothers?’ And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother’” (Matthew 12:46–50).

My friends, is YOUR very purpose in life to become a member of God’s Family?

How to Become Sons and Daughters of God?

“For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring’” (Acts 17:28).

We also saw the amazing statement by Jesus in Matthew 12:49–50, that He considers His faithful disciples as His family! “He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, ‘Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.’”

Jesus described those who would obey our Father in heaven as His spiritual family. My friends, God is inviting you to be part of His family! Notice this inspiring scripture, Ephesians 3:14. The Apostle Paul states that he bows His knees to our Father in heaven. Ephesians 3:14, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [now notice this!] from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named…” (Ephesians 3:14–15).

Yes, God is the Father [from] whom the whole FAMILY in heaven and earth is named! God is producing a family. He wants you to voluntarily choose to become His sons and daughters! Notice that in 2 Corinthians 6. God wants you to come out of the carnal, sinful ways of the world. 2 Corinthians 6:17, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17–18).

God is love, as it tells us in 1 John 4:8 and 16! He wants YOU as His son or daughter! Remember what Jesus taught us to pray in the outline, or model, prayer. How do you begin your prayer? “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Matthew 6:9). How do you become a son or daughter of your Father in heaven? We must first acknowledge God Almighty as the Creator of heaven and earth. Notice this in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. Hebrews 11:6, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Some of you longtime viewers of Tomorrow’s World have had wonderful answers to your prayers because you have humbled yourself to pray to your Father in heaven. But there’s another step that Jesus made clear when He preached the gospel of the kingdom of God. Notice that in Mark 1:14, “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14–15).

Yes, my friends, Jesus called all His audience to repentance. What do you repent of? You repent of sin, which is the transgression of God’s law, His Ten Commandments! Repent means to change your mind, to express so much sorrow for your sins, your behaviors, your attitudes, that you turn your life around and go God’s way, rather than the carnal way of selfishness, greed, lust, jealousy, and sin. Remember when the NT church began on the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter gave instructions to his audience. Acts 2:38, “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call’” (Acts 2:38–39).

Now is the time to seek God, as it tells us in Isaiah 55:6–7. God will abundantly pardon, as He promises, if you follow through with Christ’s instructions.

After genuine repentance, faith, and baptism, God gives the gift of the Holy Spirit. That is the beginning of a truly spiritual life. We become the very heirs of God, co-heirs, or joint-heirs with Christ. Read it for yourself in Romans 8:14. Continuing in the KJV: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:14–17).

We’ve already seen a glimpse of our inheritance: We will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5); we will inherit the Kingdom (Matthew 25:34 and Daniel 7:18); We will inherit eternal life (Matthew 19:29).

Let’s understand, we are now heirs of God, not yet inheritors. That takes place at the resurrection! Once we are God’s begotten children, we need to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, as it tells us in 2 Peter 3:18! As we learn and practice God’s way of life, we grow in godly character. And that takes a lifetime.

Coming Together in Christ

But the greatest reality is that God is omnipotent, all powerful, as it tells us in Revelation 19:6, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” Yes, God rules supreme. And His Kingdom is the family of God and the government of God! You can be a part of that loving, divine, royal family.

The Apostle Paul wrote: “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). My friends, you can be a member of that body, the Church of God. How can you find that Church? I encourage you to view Gerald Weston’s program “Would Jesus Choose Your Church?” and Rod McNair’s program “Are Churches Dying?” Jesus said, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Yes, His Church will NOT die! We are also told in Hebrews 10:25 not to forsake “the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Those Christians are assembling every week to fellowship with one another and worship God on His Sabbath. You can meet some of them at our Tomorrow’s World Presentations which are held at various locations around the world. Just visit the TomorrowsWorld.org website and scroll down to “Presentations.” There you will find a listing of the cities and dates where you will find all four of our TV presenters and other area ministers presenting prophetic topics of vital interest. We hope to meet you at one of these Tomorrow’s World Presentations! You may also meet members of the Living Church of God. As you and your family fellowship with loving and faithful Christians, you will grow spiritually in God’s love. Teenagers enjoy the annual Living Youth Camp and participate in sports, outdoor activities, and Christian Living classes that challenge our young people to experience for themselves the values of abundant living that will last a lifetime and beyond. Living Church of God members attend the eight-day annual Feast of Tabernacles in various locations around the world. They are preparing for tomorrow’s world when all nations will observe God’s biblical festivals (Zechariah 14:16).

Yes, God has a glorious future for you and your family, IF you seek Him with your whole heart as it tells us in Isaiah 55:6–7. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, declares our purpose in life in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

My friends, I encourage you to prove for yourself the real meaning of life.

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