The theology of Revelation and of the last days & return of Christ (what theologians call eschatology) is a tricky roadmap to understand.  So many beliefs exist it is hard to understand them all!  Here are a few terms and a great chart to help us understand some of the terms that are often associated with Revelation.

Rapture – the belief that Christians will be taken up to heaven before the final return of Christ.  It is closely associated with pre-millennial theology.  It comes in 3 basic “flavors” – pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation

Millennium – the 1,000 year reign of Christ.  Seen as a literal 1,000 years by some and as a symbolic reference to Christ’s eternal reign by others.

Tribulation – a time of great persecution and destruction.  Often seen as a 7 year period, based on the prophecy of Daniel 9:22-27.  It is closely related to the rapture in that three beliefs concerning the rapture are closely related to the tribulation.  (See Rapture above)  Below is a chart which diagrams the three views of the rapture & second coming in relation to the tribulation.

Millennial – referring to the timing of the second coming of Christ.  The three prevailing views are:

Amillennial – belief in only a symbolic millenium and that Christ’s return and final judgment come at one time at the end of time

Premillennial – belief that Christ will return before the millennium and that the final judgment will follow the millennium

Postmillennial – belief that Christ will return and bring final judgment after a literal millenium (unlike the symbolic mellinnium of amillennialism)

Here is a chart to help us understand the differences:

Pergamum was an impressive ancient city that sat on a high mountain and was the center of the imperial cult – worship of the living emperor.  As such, Pergamum was a hot bed of persecution against the Christians, who spoke out against worshipping anyone short of Christ alone.  The ruins of Pergamum reveal a temple to Zeus which contained a throne like altar.  This may be what John refers to as Pergamum being where “Satan has his throne.”  Despite all of this persecution, including an early martyr named Antipas who Christ refers to by name, the church is commended for standing firm against persecution.

But Christ goes on to point out a few things that the church is doing that go against Christ.  First, they have people who “hold to the teaching of Balaam.”  Balaam was a false prophet who advised the Midianite women to seduce the Israelites and draw them into idolatry.  In a similar way Christ calls out those who follow the teachings of the Nicolatians, who likewise sought to draw people away from the true Christian faith.  Their position marks an interesting contrast to Christ’s message to Ephesus, who did not tolerate false teachers, but fell into the opposite trouble of being so focused on being right that they were not growing in faith.

While we are called to hold our beliefs in love, we must hear the warning of Christ to Pergamum to also hold our beliefs with unwavering faith.  In the world in which we live, it is very easy to crater in our beliefs so as not to be labeled “intolerant.”  In order to be seen as accomidating, we can easily allow our beliefs to bend away from the truth.  When we allow other religions to claim truth that goes against the truth of Christ and let that belief seep into the church, we begin to water down the truth that saves us.  True tollerance isn’t about sucumbing to others beliefs, but respecting everyone’s rights while still holding firm to your own.  We must hold our beliefs in love, true, but above this we must remember to hold on to our beliefs firmly.

When we do, Christ promises us that we will feast on the hidden manna – the food that God provides.  Let us stay strong in our faith that we can feast together with Christ in the great coming day!

I love that old gospel hymn, “Victory in Jesus.”  The chorus has such a strong message:

O victory in Jesus,
My Savior, forever.
He sought me and bought me
With His redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him,
He plunged me to victory,
Beneath the cleansing flood.

It is a great reminder that our victory comes ultimately not in what we do, but in what Christ has done for us.  It is that same reminder that Jesus gives to the church at Smyrna in his messages to the churches in Revelation 2.

Smyrna, for some background, was a moderately sized city for it’s time.  It was know for its temple to the worship of the emperor and also had a large Jewish population.  These made it difficult for the young church and for the Christians of Smyrna, who were constantly oppressed and suffering.  Their faith isolated them from the world around them and made business difficult.  They were seen as going against the defining characteristics of Smyrna, and so they were harassed and persecuted.  Polycarp, one of the well known early church leaders, was the bishop of Smyrna and was violently killed by a crowd who opposed Christianity.  In very real terms, the Christians at Smyrna were suffering.

What do you say to someone who is suffering because of their faith?  Jesus message to them is two fold.  First, God knows about their suffering.  They are not left alone and away from God.   He knows their situation and their need for encouragement.  Christ encourages them to remain strong and they will be victorious.  Second, Christ tells them that their ultimate victory comes in remaining faithful.  Their victory comes through faith, not through overcoming the struggles of the world.  Their faith earns them the crown of life and they will not face the second death.  The world may seem victorious, but those who have faith will have the final victory.

In our struggles of our day to day faith, we will constantly encounter a world that is against us.  It is the nature of the world to be at war with the nature of Christ.  When we align ourselves with Christ, we are choosing to go against the will of the world.  And we will suffer.  Faith doesn’t promise us an easy life.  If anything it seems the opposite is true.  But faith does promise us victory.  And when we have faith in Christ, we gain our victory in Jesus.

Ephesus was one of the great cities of the Roman world.  It was home to the temple to Artemis and was a major city of trade by sea.  It was also a major banking center.  It was in Ephesus that Paul experienced the protest and beating by Demetrius and other silver makers who didn’t like that Christianity was turning people away from worshiping Greek gods (and in turn buying the idols that they made).  Despite this, the church at Ephesus was a strong church that continued to grow and to stand strong for the gospel.  Jesus acknowledges this in his message to them in Revelation 2:1-7.  He praises their hard work and perseverance and their intolerance for evil men.  But he did hold against them one thing – they had forgotten their first love.  They had turned away from the passion they first had when they were saved.  (Thought they did go against the Nicolaitans – those who sought to form a heirarchy of importance in society.)  Christ called them to return to their first passion and to live anew in grace.

The message for the Ephesians may just as well be a message for anyone who has gotten so caught up in retaining the truth and righteousness of faith that they have neglected the grace, love, and passion of faith.  It can be so easy in a day like today when we are in constant battle against the things of the world to get caught up in the earthly battle and to lose the internal one.  We can get so focused on being right that we fail to grow.  We get focused on defending the faith instead of growing in it.

What should we do when we find ourselves over focused on defending Christianity and less focused on growing in faith?  Jesus says, “Repent and do the things you did at first.”  When we find ourselves so focused on defending faith instead of growing in faith, we need to return to what we did when we first started in faith – worship, prayer, and fellowship.  This is what will help us to return to a healthy faith and to grow again in Christ.