“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 3:22).

There came a day when seven churches stood before the Judge of all things, Jesus Christ. There was no need for them to present their case or testify because the Judge knew all of the true facts about them, and He had summoned them to appear before Him. It’s important to understand that Jesus loved these churches, and His grace was going forth to try to bring them to the place where they were pleasing to Him and the Father.

In every church, Jesus knew their works: He knew what was happening, dismissing what they said about themselves. Jesus knew the good, the bad, and the ugly about each church and each individual in that church. There were commendations and condemnations in His judgments; Christ gave them clear commands as to what they were to keep on doing and what must immediately cease. He was plain about dealing with evildoers in the church, and about the lukewarmness of Laodicea making Him sick. “True and righteous are His judgments.”

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

This exhortation from our Lord covered two areas: the existing conditions that were pleasing and should continue, and the ones that were displeasing to the Lord and needed to be corrected. And then the rewards that He promised to “Him who overcomes.” The Spirit of the Lord said everything that needed to be said to those seven churches to bring them to a place of commendation and eternal reward. Then, it was up to them to “…Not only be hearers, but doers of His word” To be overcomers!

Commentaries abound concerning these seven churches, with much explanation about the situation and context of each church. Some say that those words only applied to those specific churches and nothing else. Others say they apply to seven church ages, the last being the Laodicean age, of where we presently are. Still others say that they represent seven conditions which appear in all the churches throughout the ages.

This one thing I know for certain: The Holy Spirit has spoken to the church through the Scriptures, all we need to know. The church of God doesn’t need any new revelation or word from God.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy” 3:16-17).

The Bible contains the fullness of God’s revelation of Himself to man. Written by many different men of God over a period of many years, it is one book with perfect continuity, written under the inspiration of God.

“…No prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, these prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21).

When a believer is sitting under the teaching of a so-called preacher, teacher, or pastor, and they do not stay true to the Scriptures, or even worse, teach their hearers they need to “unhitch” from the Old Testament or the Bible altogether, that believer needs to run to the nearest exit and never return.

There is or was a movement that began to teach that everything in the Scriptures needed to be taught in context. I know very little about that except something I read. It was about a very familiar promise God had given to Israel in a particular situation. The writer made the point that the church couldn’t lay claim to the promise because it was given to Israel only. With all due respect, they miss a very important truth.

The revelation of God and Jesus in the Bible is just that: it reveals their unchanging nature, heart and mind in dealing with their chosen people, whether it be Israel or the church. When you read in the Old Testament about rebellious Israel, you will also read of God’s amazing grace and patience with them. In times of chastisement and judgment, God made some great promises to restore them. That same God is the God and Father of the church of God in Christ Jesus.

The unchanging character, nature, heart and mind of God came into full view when Jesus Christ appeared. He is the image of the invisible God; it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him; Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature. And forever will the love of God for the world remain indelibly inscribed in the wounds in Jesus’ glorious body.

“God…in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world…. We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it” (Hebrews 1:1-2, 2:1).

Every child of God has been given a set of spiritual ears to hear what the Spirit has said. God has given His chosen people a complete book to listen and to learn everything He wants them to know about Him and His Son. In Genesis, God reveals in the beginning how all things came to be; in Revelation, He reveals the end of this present age and the beginning of the ages to come.

To His chosen ones, the most important truth in the Bible is His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. How He left His home in glory and came to earth as a baby, born of a virgin. Jesus was sent to earth by His Father because God so loved the world. It was the Father’s good pleasure to lay on Him the iniquity of the world, and to bruise Him so that sinners could be set free from the bondage of sin and the fear of death. Jesus accomplished this in His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

When Jesus sat down at the right hand of God as Lord, He had the power to grant eternal life to all who should call upon His name; and those who do are born again. And this is wonderful, but every new babe in Christ, and all of God’s elect who are looking and waiting for Jesus’ return, must realize they need to hear and take heed to the full counsel of God.

Here’s what I mean: God is holy; there is no sin or darkness in Him. His children are called to be holy: separated from this world and the love of it. In our great salvation, we must walk in fear and trembling before our holy God lest we drift. Not a fear of now being cast into Hell but a fear of grieving and quenching the very heart of God who loves us and keeps us.

In the New Testament, there are many sins and issues addressed, but I want to mainly focus on two. The first is immorality: adultery, fornication, and greed. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”:

“…Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints…for this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:3-5).

The second issue is the specific command Jesus gave to His church before He was crucified: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches”:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

This commandment calls the members of Christ’s body to love each other as He loved us. A member may have faith, they may give themselves to helping in community projects, they may be active in the leadership of the church; but if they don’t have love for their brothers and sisters in the body, all of their other works are worthless.

“He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:10-11).

We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of ourselves to God. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

Brother Bill Oldham

bboldham@sbcglobal.net

 

 

 

 

The seven letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 and 3 have multiple applications. First, they were instructional for the seven actual churches existing at the time. Second, similarities of these types of churches could be found throughout the Church Age. Third, these letters had a prophetic application. They were intended to chronologically order the seven stages of Church development throughout its earthly existence.

Fortunately, we have the advantage of looking back upon Church history, which enables us to determine each Church period. Below is an outline of the chronological development of the Christian Church in accordance with the blueprints of the seven letters in Revelation. This outline reveals that we are living in the final days of Church development, the “days of Laodicea.”

Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7; AD 40-150) The first stage of Christianity was primarily an apostolic period. Christians operated in compliance with Matthew 28:18-20. It was a time of reconciliation wherein the disciples successfully preached the good news gospel of Jesus Christ outwardly from Jerusalem into the surrounding Gentile populations of the world. This was Christianity in its infancy, and as a religion, it was rapidly spreading throughout the broader Middle East region and into the greater Roman Empire.

Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11; AD 100-312) This segment of Church history was characterized by a period of persecution. Rome was conducting wide-scale Christian executions in an attempt to prevent the growth and spread of the religion. Martyrdom was the unfortunate predicament forced upon the Church by the Roman Empire (Pagan Rome) during the Smyrna era. However, to Rome’s chagrin, the persecutions actually bolstered the growth of Christianity. Christians dying for their faith caught the attention of multitudes that, in turn, fixated their focus upon Christ as their Savior.

Pergamos (Revelation 2:12-17; AD 300-600) The period of Pergamos, meaning “mixed marriage” in Greek, is associated with the paganization of the Church. As the Roman Empire began its decline, it embraced Christianity as its state religion. This served two primary purposes.

First, it began to fill deepening political rifts developing in the deteriorating Roman government. Second, it facilitated the survival of faltering pagan religious practices by cleverly integrating and incubating them into Christianity.

Also, the martyrdom period of Smyrna, which experienced Christianity flourishing, became problematic for Rome. Each martyr’s death brought new and renewed strength among fellow Christians.

During the Pergamos period, Christianity became severely compromised—and in so doing, created an end to the persecutions occurring during the Smyrna stage. By marrying up with Roman paganism, an adulterated version of Christianity ensured its survival. Shortly thereafter, ancient Roman religious practices began to permeate the Church. Christian traditions, such as Christmas trees and Yule logs, can likely be traced to this Pergamos period of Church history.

Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29; AD 600-Tribulation) This church is commonly thought to represent the Roman Catholic Church (Papal Rome), which evolved out of the Pergamos period. Thyatira tends to be a works-based rather than a faith-based church.

“I know your works, love, service, faith, and your patience; and as for your works, the last are more than the first” (Rev. 22:19, NKJV; emphasis added).

Being a works-based institution, it emphasizes the religious rather than relational importance between God and humanity. Revelation 2:20-24 declares that an apostate element within Thyatira, likened to the historic false prophetess Jezebel, will cause Thyatira to be cast into the “sickbed” of the “Great Tribulation” period.

“Nevertheless I have a few things against you [The Roman Catholic Church], because you allow that woman [The Queen of Heaven]  Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent. Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds. I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works. “Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden” (Rev. 2:20-24, NKJV; emphasis added).

Rev. 2:23 says this church will be cast into the “sickbed” of the “Great Tribulation.” The Greek words are “megas” “thlipsis.” These same words are used in Matthew 24:21 and Rev 7:14.

In all three instances, they seem to denote the time period of the last three and one-half years of the Seven-Year Tribulation period. It is called the “Great Tribulation” because this is when the seven bowl judgments of Rev. 16 find fulfillment. It is through these seven judgments that the wrath of God upon a Christ-rejecting humanity gets completed.

The letter to Thyatira states that this Jezebel campaign becomes a church doctrine outsourced from the depths of Satan (Rev. 2:24). The apostle John apparently identified Jezebel of the past as the representation for the Catholic Virgin Mary. The NLT translates this verse as follows,

“But I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira who have not followed this false [Jezebel] teaching (‘deeper truths,’ as they call them—depths of Satan, actually)” (Rev. 2:24, NLT; emphasis added).

Is it possible that future signs and lying wonders associated with the Roman Catholic Mary will be the catalyst to the emergence of the Roman Catholic Church as the head of the apostate world religious system of the harlot in Revelation 17:18, located in the city of Rome? I strongly believe so!

Are you aware of the fact that the current Pope Leo XIV is a very strong promoter of Marian apparition messages that unite many different faiths by the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, Lourdes, and Our Lady of Guadalupe? Here is a recent news headline that was reported by the Catholic News Agency (CNA) on May 13, 2025. It is on this date that the Catholics celebrate a feast for Our Lady of Fátima.

“Pope Leo XIV’s prayer of consecration to Our Lady of Fátima”

Do you find it a little disturbing that this new pope is doing a prayer of consecration to a demonic statue of Mary and not a prayer of consecration to Jesus Christ? Do you know that there are alleged messages from the Roman Catholic Mary given to visionaries that in the future she will appear visibly so that the whole world will see her as she was seen at an apparition site in Zeitoun, Egypt, in the past?

Our Lady of Zeitoun

The Marian apparitions at Zeitoun in Egypt began on April 2, 1968, and continued for about 2-3 years. The apparitions were witnessed by millions, including Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Also, they were often caught on cameras by photographers and television crews present to witness the spectacles. Many videos of the event are available online at YouTube and elsewhere.

Below are a few important related quotes.

“For more than a year, starting on the eve of Tuesday, April 2, 1968, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in different forms over the domes of the Coptic Orthodox Church named after Her at Zeitoun, Cairo, Egypt. The late Father Constantine Moussa was the church priest at the time of these apparitions…

The apparitions lasted from a few minutes up to several hours and were sometimes accompanied by luminous heavenly bodies shaped like doves and moving at high speeds. The apparitions were seen by millions of Egyptians and foreigners. Among the witnesses were Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Moslems, Jews, and non-religious people from all walks of life. The sick were cured and blind persons received their sight, but most importantly, large numbers of unbelievers were converted.” [i]

Below is an apparition message given to Chris Courtis, a visionary from Maryland, USA

“I wish to also tell you that before my apparitions end completely, I shall be seen by every denomination and religion throughout this world. I will be seen among all people, not for just a moment, but everyone will have a chance to see me. As I appeared in Zeitoun (1968-1970), I shall appear again so everyone may see me. Pray and help my plans to be realized, not just here, but throughout the world.” [ii]

What if she were to do this with a connection to Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is most loved by Pope Robert Prevost (Leo XIV)? Our Lady of Guadalupe is described by the faithful as the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. Roman Catholics for centuries refer to this woman as the “Woman of the Apocalypse” based on their unbiblical interpretation of Revelation chapter 12.

It’s easy to imagine that if there was a future apparition looking like Our Lady of Guadalupe that this current pope or a new one, along with many Roman Catholics from all over the world, would point people to Revelation 12 and declare that only through the Roman Catholic Church can you now be saved and go to heaven? They would predictably continue to confidently declare that the Roman Catholic Church is the only true Church in the world for all peoples.

(It’s important to note that some Catholics are truly saved and will be raptured and not be left behind!)

“Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this (Jezebel) doctrine, who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. But hold fast what you have till I come [in the Rapture]” (Rev. 2:24-25, NKJV; emphasis added).

If you are interested in learning about the coming harlot world religion of Revelation 17 and a possible end-time satanic end game for all these Marian apparitions that have occurred all over the world for centuries, read my book entitled The NEXT Prophecies. Also available is my DVD entitled The Catholic Church in the Tribulation Period. Watch it online for free. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM6g62qOQPk

Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6; AD 1500-Tribulation) This period is best described as the Protestant Reformation; however, it lacked true transformation. Salvation through faith rather than works was reintroduced within Christianity; however, the Reformation continued to be more about religion than about a personal relationship with God.

Sardis, the religious denomination broadly representing Orthodox Protestantism, such as the Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Episcopal, and Methodist Churches, is in jeopardy, like Thyatira, of going into the Seven-Year Tribulation period as per the passage below.

“Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. Remember therefore how you have received [salvation through faith in Christ)] and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief [in the Pre-Trib Rapture], and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; [alluding to saved souls] and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy [justified by true faith in Christ]” (Revelation 3:2-4, emphasis added).

Fortunately, within Sardis, there will be some who will be raptured and are worthy to walk with Christ.

Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13; AD 1800-Rapture) Philadelphia means “brotherly love.” Powerful, worldwide missionary movements beginning in the 1800s characterize the period of Philadelphia. In accordance with Matthew 28:18-20, this church answered the call to the “Ministry of Reconciliation.” The Philadelphian period concludes with the rapture as per Revelation 3:10, which says that this church will be kept from “the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world,” alluding to the Trib-period.

The Jesus Movement is an example of the Church of Philadelphia. Below is a Wikipedia summarization of this movement.

“The Jesus movement was an evangelical Christian movement that began on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s and primarily spread throughout North America, Europe, Central America, Australia, and New Zealand, before it subsided in the late 1980s. Members of the movement were called Jesus people or Jesus freaks.” [iii]]

Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22; AD 1900-Tribulation) Laodicea means “people’s rights.” Inherent in its name is the inference that this is a church predominantly ruled by the people rather than the Lord. This church began in the twentieth century and will continue into the Seven-Year Tribulation period.

Laodicea believes that it is a prosperous church having need of nothing; conversely, Christ considers it “wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). In Rev. 3:18, Christ encourages this church to abandon its apostate practices and purchase gold from Him that is refined through the fire. By the reference to gold refined through fire, Christ implies that Laodicea is an impure and undisciplined church in need of repentance.

Laodicea treats Christ more like an ordinary stranger rather than an extraordinary Savior. They position Him mostly outside the church, which causes Him to say,

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20).

Many Bible prophecy teachers, including myself, believe that these are the days of Laodicea.

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[i] https://www.zeitun-eg.org/zeitoun1.htm

[ii] Queen of Rome Queen of Islam Queen of All the Marian apparition’s plan to unite all religions under the Roman Catholic Church by Jim Tetlow, Roger Oakland, Brad Myers 2006 / Page 6

[iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_movement#Calvary_Chapel