As we mature in the Lord, we begin to distinguish the earthly blessings from the spiritual and eternal ones. As this happens, we begin to seek the spiritual and eternal blessings more and seek to abide in the spirit realm more. We eventually become more at home in the spiritual than we are in the natural. Ideally, if we have kept the Lord our first love and the pursuit of Him our top priority, it should be a “natural” next step when we make the transition to eternal life. Like the apostle Paul, we will then desire...

      The Lord said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church. The gates of hell are access points the powers of hell come through to corrupt and destroy. Can we now say that His church has not been preyed upon through these gates? We can if we understand the true church of God and can distinguish it from the church mankind has built.

      The church the Lord has been building throughout this age has withstood every onslaught from hell and remained a pure, chaste virgin waiting for the Lord’s return....

      How did most of the church fall into such depravity that it would be called “the Great Harlot” and “Mystery Babylon” in the Revelation given to John? The institutional church through the Middle Ages descended into a deep darkness that is incomprehensible today. Its nature and practices could hardly have been more contrary to the teachings and instructions of Jesus or His true followers. This terrible fall and corruption of the church was predicted in the vision John was given, and it happened just as it was portrayed.

      Why was this shown to...

      We are preparing to examine some very challenging facts about church history. If we do not see them through the Lord’s eyes, they can lead to cynicism and critical judgments of the church—and of people—which can darken our hearts. Let us keep in mind that not every church that has claimed to be the church of Jesus Christ was built by Him. His church has always been “a little flock,” a remnant that has resisted trying to build for this age. Rather, it seeks the city God is building, a heavenly city.

      The church the Lord is building...

      The seven churches addressed in Revelation are named in the sequence of the ages, or time periods, they represent. These periods can vary in length a great deal, from a couple of centuries to over a thousand years, so they are not defined by the amount of time but by the main spiritual conditions of each period.

      The meaning of each name is also prophetic of that period. So, it may seem logical that all of the other “sevens” named in Revelation would fall into the same sequence and relate to these same church ages, but that...