Revelation Class Notes
June 4, 2026
Revelation: Given to Christ by God the Father to Show His Servants the Things that Must Take Place
Revelation 3: Philadelphia & Laodicea Churches Explained (1750-Today)
The Laodicean Assembly (Revelation 3:14–22).
The Amen, faithful and true witness, and beginning of creation speaks to this assembly (Revelation 3:14).
The rise of progressive christianity.
Its works are lukewarm, making them putrid (Revelation 3:14).
They will be spewed out of Christ’s mouth into the tribulation (Revelation 3:14).
It is a wealthy assembly in worldly goods (Revelation 3:15).
It is poor in doctrine (Revelation 3:16–17).
It is counseled to buy refined gold from Christ so that may have white garments (Revelation 3:18).
Going after proper doctrine.
Obtaining salvation through the truth.
Those whom the Lord loves he child-trains (Revelation 3:19).
God does not permit His children to be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:32).
The Lord child-trains everyone He receives (Hebrews 12:5–6).
Child-training produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).
Those who are not child-trained do not belong to God (Hebrews 12:8).
This assembly has left Christ outside the door (Revelation 3:20).
This is the door of the Church, not the heart of man.
Some in this assembly will be saved.
The majority are not saved.
The Overcomer (Revelation 3:22)
Will be granted to sit on the throne with Christ.
They will reign with Christ.
The present predominate condition of the Church since the early 1900s.
The Pentecostal Movement.
Focus on feelings over facts.
Emerging from the remnants of the American Holiness movement, Pentecostalism shifted the focus of the faith from liturgy and theological orthodoxy toward subjective, ecstatic experience.
The core theological innovation of the Pentecostal movement.
The claim that the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Evidenced by glossolalia (speaking in tongues).
Speaking in tongues is a requirement for the modern believer.
Pentecostalism prioritizes the “fresh touch” of the Spirit over traditional systematic theology.
Pentecostalism is intensely individualistic in its ideology.
The Rise of the Mega-Church.
Beginning in the 1970s and accelerating through the 1990s, church leadership began to import techniques from secular corporate management.
The pastor shifted from a shepherd of souls to a CEO, tasked with marketing the “product” of the church experience to a broader demographic.
Megachurches often scrub denominational identity in favor of generic, upbeat, and non-threatening branding.
Services were re-engineered. High-production music, professional staging, and abbreviated, therapeutic messages replaced rigorous biblical exposition.
The goal is to provide a “user-friendly” experience that prevents members from feeling confronted by the difficult realities of sin, national duty, or historical Christian truth.
The Rise of Theological Liberalism and Modernism
Coming out from the Hight Criticism movement, the infallibility of Scripture is replaced with major denominational teachings.
Propositional Christianity—the Church is defined by abstract ideas and ideology rather than truth.
The Seven Churches Describe the Seven Periods of the Church on Earth.
The only assembly not present today is the Ephesus assembly because it lost its fist love—the love for the brethren.
We are currently in the Laodicean period; the last period of the Church on earth.
An assembly that seeks worldly wealth over doctrine (Revelation 3:15–17).
Progressive Christianity is the focus.
It is the secularization of the Church by its own internal leadership.
It is a strategy of survival that involves stripping away every element of the faith that offends the modern world.
It is the functional equivalent of a social club or a political advocacy group that retains the terminology of the Church only to gain legitimacy while preaching a gospel of man-centered political change.
It is fundamentally incompatible with the historic Christian faith.
The overcome is the one who is saved
Will eat from the tree of life in the garden of God (Revelation 2:7).
The second death will not harm (Revelation 2:11).
Will eat from the hidden manna (Revelation 2:17).
Is given a stone of vindication (Revelation 2:17).
Will receive a specific name from God (Revelation 2:17).
Given authority over the nations (Revelation 2:26).
Clothed with white garments (Revelation 3:4).
The overcomer’s name will not be blotted out from the book of life (Revelation 3:4).
Made a pillar in the Temple of God (Revelation 3:12).
The name of God, the new Jerusalem, and Jesus’ new name will be writing upon the overcomer (Revelation 3:12).
Sit with Christ on His throne (Revelation 3:21).
Join us in person at 811 W. Main Street in Monroe, WA 98272.
If you are unable to join in person, we will have a live broadcast of Evening School of the Bible at 6:00 PM.
And let us consider one another in stirring up love and proper works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves, just as is the habit of some, but encouraging, and so much more as we see the day approaching (Hebrews chapter 10:24–25).
In a world that often pulls us toward isolation, coming together face-to-face provides encouragement, clarity, and spiritual strength. At Word of Grace Studies, we gather because we value the opportunity to build up one another in truth, to stir up love and proper works, and to grow together in the faith. Whether you can come and fellowship with us or at a local assembly in your area, do not forsake the assembling of the saints, your presence matters—for your benefit and for the encouragement of others.
You’re always welcome to join us and experience the encouragement and connection that come from gathering together.