As covered, the biggest gate of hell was opened into the church when positions of authority in the church became based on the approval of men rather than God. This began in the early fourth century when the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. Officials of the empire were required to be Christian. This caused all manner of ambitious and evil people to enter the church to gain favor with the government, not because of a true conversion.

     The corruption of the faith deepened when rituals began to supplant the reality of the...

        The Book of Revelation was the history of the church and the world through the church age, written in advance. We can now understand it with greater clarity as we stand at the end looking back on what transpired. We see what opened “the gates of hell” into the church, and we now see what will close them. We can see how what was prophesied happened as well as what must yet be fulfilled.

        The basic requirement for understanding the Book of Revelation is to understand that it is first and foremost a revelation of Christ. The next...

         Scripture commands us to “Know those who labor among you” (see I Thessalonians 5:12). I occasionally feel compelled to share more specifically where I stand on a doctrine or other issue because you deserve to know.

         I have been accused of being anti-Catholic, and at the same time, of being a Roman Catholic. I actually have never been part of any denomination. I do admit that for a period of time when I first studied church history, I became very anti-Roman Catholic. As I studied the histories of many Protestant denominations, I became anti-all denominations. Over time, much...

         Here we continue our study of the church at Thyatira that represents the church of the Middle Ages (538-1798). The Catholic church at that time had two major accomplishments that greatly benefited Western civilization. The first was stopping Islam from subduing Europe. The second was keeping belief in the present working of the Holy Spirit alive.

         King Ahab, the husband of Jezebel, was one of the most wicked kings in Israel’s history. He allowed Jezebel to sow the worst kind of idolatry and immorality throughout the land. Yet when Ahab humbled himself just a little before the Lord,...

         As we continue our study of the Book of Revelation and the church at Thyatira that prophesied the church in the Middle Ages, we must continually remind ourselves that this is “our” history, not just “their” history. There had to be a falling away and a revelation of the “man of sin,” who represented the “sin of man.” This personifies who we all are without Christ. The church at that time may have taken on a nature opposite that of Christ, but how often have other churches, movements, and denominations done the same? How often do we personally fall...