We are told that God is the Alpha and the Omega–the beginning and the ending (Rev. 21:6 ).  He therefore knows the ending from the beginning.  Through His Old Testament prophets He foretold many of the things that later took place in the life of His chosen people–Israel.  Knowing this it comes as no surprise that He knew what would become of His New Testament Church–the “Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16)–which is Biblically known as “the Church of God” (1 Cor. 1:2; 11:32; 15:9/ 2 Cor. 1:1/ 1 Tim. 3:5,15).  Collectively God’s congregations are also called “the churches of Christ,” meaning that Christ is the head of God’s church that consists of congregations all over the world.

Some 60-70 years after He had established His church on the Day of Pentecost 31 A.D. Jesus Christ appeared to the Apostle John and showed him the future of the church in a vision, saying: “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.  What you see write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea” (Rev. 1:11).  What Jesus would have John write would describe the spiritual condition of each of those churches at that time.  Each congregation represented a future era in the history of the church beginning at the time of the vision and ending with His (Christ’s) return to earth.  For this reason church eras have throughout history been named after the seven churches of Revelation 1-3.  For example, the first era is referred to as the “Ephesian era,” the second as the “Smyrnan era,” etc.  Each church exhibited its own particular characteristics.   History has revealed that each church’s future counterpart exhibited those same characteristics.  God truly does know the end from the beginning.

One will notice that the final era in church history is the Laodicean era, the spiritual time-frame in which we are now living.  We find Christ’s Words to this era–then and now–recorded in Revelation 3:14-20.  Verse 21 is the focal passage for this series.  We will study this extremely important verse with great care because one must embrace it and obey its command in order to be saved.  SO SAID THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF (Rev. 3:21).

The seven churches to whom John would write were located along a Roman mail route in the area that today is known as the nation of Turkey.  Beginning with the church located in the city of Ephesus and ending with the church found in the city of Laodicea, each church located on that road represented a future era of church history.  As Jesus told John: “Write the things which you have seen (in the vision), and the things which are (at that time), and the THINGS WHICH SHALL BE HEREAFTER (in the distant future)–Rev. 1:19.  John was to write what Jesus revealed to him about the present conditions of the seven churches (“which are”–at that time).  Their present spiritual status would foretell “things which shall be hereafter” in the churches that would mirror their respective moral conditions.  The Lord revealed to John and us the changing spiritual conditions that would characterize the church from that time until His return.  Those eras would evolve in sequential order, beginning with the Ephesus era and ending with the Laodicean era–the modern church.

Jesus revealed to John that each church would arise, adopt certain characteristics, persist for a time, then fade away, to be replaced by the next church era which would follow the same pattern, then be replaced by the next era and so on until the end of the final era, at which time Christ would return, bring the entire world system to an end and establish the Kingdom of God which would last forever.

What must be understood is that, beginning with the Ephesus era and lasting until the return of Christ, God would, in each era, have a “remnant” (Rom. 11:5)–a tiny, faithful few in each era who would be spiritually separate from the other church people of that era.  They would differ from the masses by clinging to God and obeying His Words as had the remnants who had gone before them.  God calls this rejected and scorned “remnant,” His “Very Elect,” His “peculiar nation,” His “church” (Gr.–ekklesia–“called out ones).”  These are the “few” Jesus spoke about in Matthew 7:13,14.  His modern day remnant–His church–numbers only a few thousand world-wide.

Before entering into our study of the Laodicean (final) era of God’s church, let us notice what Jesus said about the previous (Philadelphia) era.  One will note that He praised that era because of their embrace of and obedience to His Word.  These were God’s true saints who followed in the spiritual footsteps of their Messiah by walking as He walked (1 Jn. 2:6), purifying themselves as He was pure (1 Jn. 3:3) and overcoming as He overcame (Rev. 3:21).  Today there continues to be a tiny remnant of believers who follow in the footsteps of the Philadelphia era saints.  These are they who continue to obey the Lord–walk as He walked, purify themselves and overcome as did He while on this earth as a man.  He has a particular love for these saints.  They remain in His love BECAUSE THEY OBEY HIS COMMANDMENTS–THEY OVERCOME.  Recall that Jesus said that He remained in God’s love BECAUSE HE OBEYED HIS COMMANDMENTS (Jn. 15:10)–HE OVERCAME.  What God required of Jesus He requires of all of His saints.

Recall that the rich man of Matthew 19 was denied eternal life because of “one thing.”  He refused to overcome his lust for things.  His refusal to overcome “cost” him everything.  God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).  What He required of the rich man He requires of everyone, including His Messiah.  We all must overcome Satan’s temptation to sin–break God’s Law.  He tells us this in 1 John 3:4 that “To transgress the Law is sin, for sin is the transgression of the Law” (1 Jn. 3:4).  To obey His commandments is to obey His Law, resulting in holiness–the opposite of sin.  The Law is the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  The Ten Commandments are the entire Law in a condensed form.  As Jesus told the rich man, we must obey the commandments–the Law of God–in order to be saved.  As we will see, church people in the Laodicean era refused to obey God.  And as Jesus prophesied, their modern day counterparts also refuse to obey it.  Only God’s tiny remnant obey His Law today.  They are the few Jesus spoke about who would embrace His Word/Law/Truth and obey it unto holiness, which ends in salvation (Rom. 5:21; 6:22) if such righteousness and holiness are maintained until the end of one’s life (Mat. 10:22).  L.J.