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Welcome back to another episode of our Bible study series! In this episode, we’re laying important groundwork for our study of Revelation by examining key prophecies from the book of Daniel.

Why Daniel Matters for Understanding Revelation

As we begin our journey through Revelation, it’s crucial to understand the connection to Daniel’s prophecies. While we won’t be doing an in-depth study of Daniel—our focus remains on Revelation—we need to highlight some key prophetic portions that provide essential background.

Daniel is filled with well-known stories like Daniel in the Lion’s Den and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. But beyond these narratives, the prophetic portions of Daniel hold tremendous significance for understanding end-times events.

Daniel’s Prophecies Coming Alive

An interesting observation about Daniel’s prophecies is their relevance in modern times. Historically, people didn’t discuss Daniel much beyond the famous stories. However, the prophetic sections have really come alive in recent years. Daniel was told to seal up his prophecies until the end times, which may explain why these passages are receiving more attention and deeper study now than ever before.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

The prophetic portion we’re examining begins in Daniel chapter 2 with King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. This powerful king had a troubling dream and turned to his magicians and Chaldean advisors for interpretation. But Nebuchadnezzar didn’t trust them, so he demanded something extraordinary: not just an interpretation, but that they first tell him what he had dreamed.

When they couldn’t do it, Nebuchadnezzar ordered their execution. That’s when Daniel stepped forward. After praying, Daniel boldly declared that God had given him both the dream and its interpretation. When Daniel stood before the king and revealed exactly what Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed, the king was absolutely amazed.

Looking Ahead

This dream and its interpretation contain vital prophetic information that connects directly to what we’ll be studying in Revelation. Understanding these foundational prophecies from Daniel will help us better comprehend the end-times events described in John’s revelation.

Stay tuned as we continue to build this foundation and eventually dive deep into the book of Revelation itself!

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This week on Tell the Truth, we wrapped up our deep dive into the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, and what a journey it’s been! As we closed out this section, we couldn’t help but reflect on how powerfully relevant these ancient messages are to us today.

The Power of God’s Word

One of the key themes we discussed is the inexhaustible nature of Scripture. We don’t need to search for something “new and unique and beautiful every week” – we just need to come right out of the Word. There’s no shortage of messages when you’re grounded in Scripture, and that’s exactly where we need to stay centered.

A Call to Listen

What struck us most about these letters is how they all end the same way: “The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” This isn’t a casual suggestion – it’s a repeated command to pay attention and apply what we’re hearing. The Spirit is speaking directly to us through these letters, just as He spoke to those original churches.

Our Shared Reality

We also explored how similar our context is to the original recipients of these letters. Every one of those churches was surrounded by paganism and wickedness, just like we are today. The difference? Their idols sat on shelves where people could physically bow down to them. Our modern idols – video games, television, phones, work, and countless other distractions – are harder to identify but just as dangerous.

The Letter to Philadelphia

We spent time particularly appreciating the letter to Philadelphia and how Jesus describes Himself in exactly the way they needed to hear: He is holy, He is true, and He holds the key of David. This imagery connects back to Isaiah 22 and reminds us that Jesus alone has access to the treasures and storehouse of God.

Looking Ahead

Next week marks an exciting transition as we move into chapter four of Revelation. We’re past the messages to the churches now and diving into the actual meat of the prophetic events. It’s going to get challenging, but we’re ready to tackle the tough stuff together.

Join us as we continue this important journey through Revelation, always remembering to keep our ears open to what the Spirit is saying to the churches today.

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This week on Tell the Truth, we continued our journey through the book of Revelation, diving into the letter to the church at Thyatira.

Still in the Church Age

Before we jumped into the text, we wanted to remind everyone where we are in Revelation. Right now, we’re still in the church age in the book of Revelation, with another chapter to go. After chapter three, we’ll see the church in heaven in chapter four, which takes place after the tribulation. Then the tribulation here on earth will start. But for now, Christ is still speaking directly to the churches.

The Promise to Overcomers

We also recapped the beautiful promise from the previous week’s passage: “To the one who conquers, I will give him some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and on that stone be written a new name that no one can understand except the one who receives it.” This is the new name given to us by Christ—a deeply personal and intimate promise to those who overcome.

Living Out God’s Word

We opened in prayer with a powerful reminder that God’s Word isn’t just meant to stay in book form. Through the Holy Spirit, God writes His living Word in our hearts so that it lives in us. The things we do and say may not be an exact quote from the Bible, but they should mirror the Word of God. We can only accomplish this by studying Scripture and spending time in prayer.

Our prayer for this podcast remains constant: that the truth of God’s Word would penetrate hearts, direct the church, and guide our families—moms, dads, husbands, and wives—to be godly men and women who follow Christ with passion and compassion.

The Perfect Church… With a Problem

When we examined Christ’s words to Thyatira, we discovered something remarkable. Jesus commends them for their works, their love, their faith, their service, their patience, and their endurance through dark times. Even more impressive, their works had actually increased over time. This sounds like the perfect church!

When Good Works Aren’t Enough

But here’s where we discussed the challenge many modern churches face. Churches can get so focused on the works—showing up every Sunday, every Wednesday, all the kids’ programs, revivals, and special events—that they lose sight of something critical. They work hard at making everyone feel welcome and comfortable, inviting anyone to come in and sit down, making them feel like family.

We talked about how churches can look back at everything they’re doing and think, “Look at us! We’re working hard. We’ve got faith. We’re faithful to show up.” But Jesus was about to deliver one of the harshest rebukes to any of the seven churches—and it came right after acknowledging all these good things they were doing.

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Join us next week as we continue exploring the letters to the seven churches in Revelation!

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Episode 62: Revelation 2 – Smyrna and Pergamum

This week on Tell the Truth, we dove deep into a critical issue that plagued the early church and continues to challenge believers today: the misunderstanding of grace as a license to sin.

The Nicolaitan Heresy

We explored how the Apostle Paul addressed a dangerous teaching that twisted the concept of grace. Some were saying, “Let us sin more so that grace may abound” – essentially the core belief of the Nicolaitans. This heresy suggested that because we’re saved by grace, we can do whatever we want. But as we discussed, this completely misses the heart of Jesus’s message.

Jesus’s Consistent Command

One of the most striking patterns we examined was how Jesus consistently told those He forgave: “Go and sin no more”. Every single time Jesus forgave someone, healed them, or directly interacted with them, this command followed. It wasn’t just a casual suggestion – it was central to His teaching.

What’s remarkable is how quickly even the early church began to forget this. We talked about how believers – barely a century removed from Christ – were already saying, “Well, we have this grace thing. We’re not under the law anymore”. They were dropping the ball on Jesus’s clear directive almost immediately.

Eternal Perspective

We also reflected on the sobering reality of the “second death” mentioned in Revelation – the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment. As D.L. Moody wisely said, “He who is born once will die twice; he who is born twice will die once”. This reminder challenges us to consider: we know death is coming, so what are we doing while we’re waiting?

Grace is amazing, transformative, and free – but it’s never a license to continue in sin. Join us as we continue exploring what it means to live faithfully in light of God’s truth while studying Revelation Chapter 2 in the letters to the leaders in Smyrna and Pergamum.