Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:14:58 — 70.6MB)

This week we dove into Revelation Chapter 4, and what an incredible passage to explore! Before we got into the heart of the chapter, we touched on some important discussions about the rapture and the controversy surrounding it in modern times. It’s disappointing to see arguments emerging that claim the rapture is just a 19th-century invention, but we know the biblical foundation is solid.

As we worked through the text, we examined the incredible throne room scene described in Revelation 4. We discussed the seven spirits before the throne, which represent the seven characteristics or attributes of the Holy Spirit – something we’ve now seen three times in Revelation (chapters 1, 3, and 4).

The imagery is breathtaking: before the throne, there’s something like a sea of glass, resembling crystal. We also began looking at the four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind – the first like a lion, the second like a calf, the third with a face like a man, and the fourth creature (which we’ll continue discussing).

What struck us throughout this passage is that everything we’re seeing is coming from the throne of God Himself. The vision John receives gives us a glimpse into the heavenly realm that should fill us with awe and reverence.

Join us next time as we continue unpacking this powerful chapter and what it means for believers today!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:17 — 64.5MB)

This week on Tell the Truth, we wrapped up our discussion of the Olivet Discourse by diving into the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25.

Picking up where we left off two weeks ago after discussing the ten virgins, we turned our attention to verses 14 and following, where Jesus tells the story of a man traveling to a far country who called his servants and delivered his goods to them. To one servant he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one—each according to their ability—and then departed on his journey.

We explored how this parable connects to the return of Jesus and His second coming. After a long time, the master returns to settle accounts with his servants. The servant who received five talents came forward, having gained five more, saying “Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I’ve gained five more talents.” The master’s response was beautiful: “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.”

The same happened with the servant who received two talents—he also doubled what he was given and received the same commendation from his master.

But then we looked at the servant who was given one talent. Out of fear, he hid his talent in the earth and simply returned what was originally given to him. The master’s response was harsh, calling him a “wicked and slothful servant” and pointing out that he should have at least put the money with the exchangers so it could have earned interest. The talent was taken from him and given to the one who had ten.

We reflected on the personal application of this parable. God has given each of us talents and abilities according to what we can handle. As we discussed, He didn’t give some of us the musical talent He gave others—because we’d probably be playing guitar non-stop instead of being responsible with our other duties! The point is clear: whatever talent God has given us, we need to use it for Him and for His glory. Whatever we’ve got, we give it back to Him.

This parable reminds us that Jesus is coming back, and when He does, He’s going to settle accounts. The question for each of us is: what are we doing with what He’s given us?

As always, we love hearing from you! If you have questions or need clarification on anything we discussed, reach out to us on Facebook. You can leave a message under our videos or send us a direct message to the page.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:59 — 62.4MB)

In this week’s episode, we continued our deep dive into Matthew 24, working toward completing this crucial chapter of Scripture that details Jesus’ prophetic teaching on the Mount of Olives.

Picking Up Where We Left Off

We resumed our study at the parable of the fig tree (around verse 32), a passage rich with prophetic significance. The fig tree illustration is one that Jesus’ original audience would have immediately understood – just as tender branches and new leaves signal that summer is approaching, certain signs indicate the nearness of prophetic fulfillment.

A Modern Parallel: The Rebirth of Israel

One of the most powerful applications we discussed relates to 1948, when Israel became a nation again after nearly 2,000 years of dispersal. This unprecedented historical event – a people group returning to their homeland after such a lengthy absence – stands as one of the most significant signs that we’re living in the end times. As the hosts noted, this is truly miraculous and unheard of in human history.

Understanding the Days of Noah

We also examined verses 40-41, which describe two people in a field with one being taken. While these verses have often been preached as rapture passages, the discussion emphasized the importance of maintaining context. Looking back at the passage about Noah’s day (verse 39), we see that it was the unrighteous who were “taken away” by the flood, not the righteous who were saved.

The Heart of the Warning

The central message focuses on how people in Noah’s time carried on with everyday life – eating, drinking, marrying – without giving any thought to God who created and provided for them. This serves as a sobering reminder for our generation.

Join us next week as we aim to complete Matthew 24 and potentially move into chapter 25!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:08 — 62.5MB)

Welcome back to the Tell the Truth Podcast! Despite some minor technical difficulties at the start (we almost had a nice cathedral echo effect!), we’re excited to dive into Matthew Chapter 24 this week.

Housekeeping Notes

Before we jump in, a quick apology—we’ve fixed the audio issues on our platform, so anyone tuning in will actually hear our voices this week. Sorry for the last few weeks of silence! Remember, the best place to catch us live is on Rumble, and the stream stays up until we publish the edited version later in the week.

A Special Reminder

As we head into Thanksgiving in a few weeks, we want to acknowledge that this time of year can be really rough for some people, especially those who’ve lost family around the holidays. While many of us find this season cheery, it’s not the same for everyone, so let’s be mindful and reach out to those who might be struggling.

Diving Into Matthew 24

Our main focus this episode is on the prophetic passages in Matthew 24, examining the signs Jesus gave about the end times.

We explored the concept of intensifying deception and falling away. This theme of people being tempted to fall away isn’t new—Hebrews was written to believers facing this very temptation. However, what we see prophesied here will be on an unprecedented scale.

Jesus warned that “many false prophets will rise up and shall deceive many.” While we see this happening now, the question becomes: is this intensifying? Are we experiencing the birth pains Jesus described?

We even touched on modern-day examples of Scripture being misquoted and misapplied, like a recent YouTube video incorrectly citing a verse from Acts about visions and dreams.

The Big Picture

Matthew 24 isn’t meant to scare us but to prepare us. As we navigate these prophetic truths, we’re reminded to stay alert, grounded in God’s Word, and ready for Christ’s return.

Join us as we continue unpacking these vital end-times teachings!

---

As always, we’re committed to telling the truth from God’s Word and helping believers understand the times we’re living in.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:43 — 64.0MB)

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!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:10:04 — 66.1MB)

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17:07 — 72.5MB)

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.

—

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

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11:34 — 67.5MB)

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:24 — 64.6MB)

Diving Into Revelation Chapter 2: The Church of Ephesus

Welcome back to Tell the Truth! This week, we’re continuing our journey through the Book of Revelation, focusing on Chapter 2 and the first of the seven churches.

The Unveiling of Jesus Christ:

As we begin Revelation Chapter 2, it’s important to remember what this entire book is about—it’s the revelation, or unveiling, of Jesus Christ. This isn’t just a prophetic timeline; it’s about revealing who Jesus truly is.

The Letter to Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-3):

The chapter opens with a message to the angel of the church of Ephesus. The letter begins: “These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand”.

Ephesus was no ordinary city—it was the chief city of Asia, serving as the religious and cultural center that influenced both East and West, Asia and Europe. The Apostle Paul had his greatest and most powerful ministry in this city.

Jesus as Sovereign Judge:

A crucial detail in these opening verses is the imagery of Jesus holding the churches in His right hand. This symbolizes that Jesus Christ is ultimately in control—He is the sovereign judge over His churches. This reminds us that no matter what challenges the churches face, they remain under Christ’s authority and care.

Approaching the Study of Revelation:

We want to encourage you: studying Revelation is similar to studying the letter to the Romans—you won’t understand it all in the first read-through. This book requires dedication. Read it, let it soak in, take notes, and then go back and repeat the process over and over. That’s how you really get your head around this profound book.

The beauty of studying Revelation is discovering what Christ’s return truly means. As we work through these chapters together, we’re reminded of our ultimate hope and home.

Join us next week as we continue unpacking Revelation Chapter 2 and the messages to the seven churches!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:00:37 — 57.4MB)

The Book of Revelation: Understanding the End Times

In this episode, we continued our study of the Book of Revelation, exploring the key themes and symbolism in the book. We discussed how the book is not meant to be scary or intimidating, but rather a message of hope and encouragement for believers.

The Importance of Understanding Revelation

We emphasized the importance of understanding the book of Revelation, not just as a book of prophecy, but as a book that reveals the character and nature of God. We discussed how the book is a call to believers to be faithful and obedient, and to trust in God’s sovereignty and power.

The Symbolism of Revelation

We explored the symbolism in the book of Revelation, including the seven churches, the seven seals, and the seven trumpets. We discussed how these symbols are not just random or arbitrary, but are rooted in biblical history and theology.

The Importance of Context

We emphasized the importance of understanding the context of the book of Revelation, including the historical and cultural background in which it was written. We discussed how the book is not just a prediction of future events, but a message of hope and encouragement to believers in the midst of persecution and hardship.

The Call to Evangelism

We ended the episode with a call to evangelism, encouraging believers to share the message of the gospel with others. We discussed how the book of Revelation is a reminder that our time on earth is short, and that we should be urgent in our efforts to share the gospel with others.

Key Takeaways

• The book of Revelation is a message of hope and encouragement for believers, not a book of fear or intimidation.
• Understanding the symbolism and context of the book is crucial to interpreting its meaning.
• The book is a call to believers to be faithful and obedient, and to trust in God’s sovereignty and power.
• We should be urgent in our efforts to share the gospel with others, as our time on earth is short.