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The Revelation of Jesus Christ (I Thess. 4: 15) shall be translated, forever to be with Him. Then will come to pass "the things which shall be hereafter," as revealed to John on Patmos many centuries ago. (See Rev. 4: 1.) It is important that we get this bird's-eye-view of this present church age, as outlined in the second and third chap ters of Revelation before we make an analytical study of this division of the book, in order to find the details concern ing these seven periods of church history. And as we con sider the significance of these seven messages as a whole, let us note also four facts that are characteristic of all seven: 1. The risen Lord Jesus begins each message with a reference to Himself, to some attribute of His Person or some phase of His work that aptly meets the particular need of that local church, symbolic of a specific period of all church history. 2. He closes each message with a promise "to him that overcometh.'' 3. He makes a special appeal or sounds a warning that flts the need of each local church-again, symbolic of the respective periods of church history. 4. He utters the same striking exhortation to all seven: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." Do you not see already. my friend, how remarkably these seven messages gave to John a prophetic view of the whole church age, from Pentecost to the rapture? For unity, accu racy, and comprehensiveness, we repeat, they are as perfect as is all the Word of God. For their heart-searching truth, we need only read them over and over, to "hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." And as we read let us ever remember that our risen Lord and Great High Priest is stand ing "in the midst" of His blood-bought church, interceding for her, cleansing from sin and empowering for service, even as her light shines in a sin-darkened world. Were it not for these reassuring truths, we might well become discouraged as this age of apostasy brings ever-in creasing spiritual darkness. Seeing "the wheat and the tares" growing together, as it were, we should be in utter confusion, but for this prophecy concerning "the things which are."
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