(Introduction published 8/1/2025 on Linkedin.com; Updated 11/19/2025)
This is a love letter to the holdout-prodigal child sitting in a pew or on a fence somewhere. Sent with the same care and concern that compelled a shepherd to leave ninety-nine other sheep to go after the one who became distracted and journeyed away from the safety of the fold.
You know the source of the shepherd story because you are an insider, a hearer with inside-information about the mysteries of GOD. To be clear, outsiders also hear about the mysteries of GOD, but they do not understand what any of it means.
This compact series on the Book of Revelation is also a tool, designed to help you save time because not much of it remains, believe what you will.
The illusion of time is that it will march on as it has since the beginning of time, sunrise following sunset, day after day, like clockwork. The reality of time is that it is one of GOD’s creations, brought into being when the lights ruling over the day and the night were put into place and the counting of seasons, length of days and years of life began, and like all created things time will cease to exist the moment its purpose is fulfilled.[1]
When it does, you will want to be ready, whether time stops for you personally or all at once.
These letters to you use the Book of Revelation to help you hear GOD’s appeal of love so clearly and urgently that you are compelled to head back home, led by the Holy Spirit of GOD, as Jesus was compelled to go into the wilderness.[2] At home with the LORD is exactly where you need to be, because GOD is preparing to level rough places and turn darkness into light.
Do you by chance recall the story of Cinderella, who went from rags to riches and back again to rags? Her fairy GOD-mother[3] makes a way for her to attend a grand ball going on at the king’s palace. Instead of rags, Cinderella is dressed in fine clothes and her bare feet are encased in glass slippers. Her GOD-mother warns her to be back home no later than the stroke of midnight, but she is having such a wonderful time at the ball that she completely loses track of time. Only when the bells in the king’s tower begin ringing to signal the approaching midnight hour does Cinderella remember what time it is. While in the process of rushing to get home the twelfth bell sounds, her beautiful gown and glass slippers disappear and she finds herself standing alone in the middle of a dirt road, barefoot and dressed in rags.
The prince, son of the king, falls in love with Cinderella at the ball and is heartbroken when she runs away so unexpectedly. So much so, he leaves his father’s kingdom to go and search for her and does not stop until he finds her. They marry, and live happily ever after. Five foolish virgins who fell asleep without planning for the coming of a groom were not as fortunate, or blessed.[4]
Cinderella’s life, though a fairytale story, is a testimony of what a life loved by Jesus and covered by GOD’s grace and mercy looks like.
The beloved prodigal son, your namesake, decides on his own to leave home and go out into the world in search of what it has to offer. He is bold, confident, adventurous and willing to risk, admirable character traits in anyone, but he is equally presumptuous, shameless, self-centered and reckless, behaviors that do not serve him well at all.
Evidence of the young man’s audaciousness is that he sees nothing wrong with going to his father to ask for something he has no right to expect—a share of the property his brother is to inherit at their father’s death. According to law, he has no inherent right to anything from his father’s estate because property inheritance, in its entirety, passes to the eldest son, who might share it or not. To understand why the first-born-rights law became necessary, you need to know and understand the relationship between Leah, Rachel and Jacob.[5]
The kind father gives his son the money he asked for—and lots of it—and the son leaves home.
At some point, his pockets become empty and any so-called friends made along the way leave him once the money is gone. He wanders the streets competing for food with other beggars before finding a job feeding pigs on a farm. Hunger and desperation have un-restricted his mind, enabling him to do what he knows is wrong and goes against the conviction of his faith (handling pigs[6]), but he is possessed by a madness and cannot control himself, to the point he even considers eating the food he feeds to the pigs.
The Gospel of Luke says the prodigal son “came to himself” and made the decision to return home,[7] but this may be one of those situations where one gospel writer omits something another gospel writer includes, which happens regularly between the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.
In the Gospel of Mark is a man possessed by demons who also works on a farm feeding pigs. Repeatedly, the people around him attempt to confine and restrain him using shackles and chains, but each time he manages to break free, a testament to the strength of his inner spirit. Finally, he breaks free once more and runs off to hide in the nearby mountains.
Filth covers him from head to toe. Weeping, infected sores line the skin around his ankles and wrists, rubbed raw by the friction and pressure of the chains and shackles. During the day, he roams the mountains, at night he wanders through the graveyard, sleeping in fits, talking to himself and shouting at invisible people.
Food and water are hard to come by, worsening his states of malnutrition and dehydration, adding further injury to his already malfunctioning brain. To escape his suffering, he cuts himself with sharp stones and beats his body with rocks. The physical and mental damage done to his body and mind—by others and by his own self-harm—create a window of opportunity for evil spirits to invade his mind, using his body as a dwelling place.
Possessed by madness, the man loses his identity and his sense of self disappears, consequences of dealing with situations too much to take—just as the prodigal son’s poverty, starvation, emotional trauma and physical and mental un-wellness are consequences of his own poor choices and the physical and economic harm inflicted on him by others. The greater sin[8], however, belongs to those in the community who pressed down on their suffering and took advantage of their desperate situation.
Whether the demon-possessed man and the prodigal son are one-and-the-same or two different men, what both demonstrate is that under the right circumstances and situations, anyone can lose their mind.
When the man possessed by evil spirits sees someone coming ashore, he runs down from the safety of the hillsides and falls to his knees before a stranger named Jesus, who understands at once the cause of the man’s condition. “Come out of the man!” commands Jesus. The man pleads not be tormented anymore, understandable given the level of violence committed against him when he was violent against no one but himself. “Help me, please!” may be what the man is attempting to say, but the demons inside him overwhelm his speaking ability and beg instead to be sent into a herd of nearby pigs, and Jesus fulfills the request.
When the once demon-possessed man is clothed and back in his right mind—as the prodigal son came to himself—Jesus sends him home. When the once-prodigal son reaches home, his father throws his arms around him and welcomes him back into the fold with gifts and a huge celebration party.[9]
It is time now for you, prodigal child, to come to yourself and head home to the Heavenly Father who loves you, because the hour is late.
In Revelation are details about the judgement coming on all the nations on Earth, according to the plans assembled by the LORD of Hosts who said, “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.”[10]
Each soul will receive what is due according to the words and behavior spoken and done in the body, whether good or evil. Righteousness will be the reward for the one declared righteous, the wicked will receive wickedness, and no disbelief or action on the part of any human being will be able to prevent the coming of GOD’s fury and indignation.[11]
These letters aim to help prepare you for GOD’s coming wrath, so that when Jesus comes again to collect the keepers of the faith He will not find you unprepared, sleeping, or celebrating in the company of those who will remember the prophecies and warnings too late.
Episode 1 is the explanation of why GOD’s coming wrath is justified and will be available three weeks from the date you receive this letter. Future letters will likewise be delivered at three-week intervals.
Episode 2 examines the people to whom GOD is speaking and what GOD is saying in the Book of Revelation.
Despite its deserved reputation as a confusing and violent book, Revelation is also inspirational and comforting.
Inspirational because reading and studying the book reveals a GOD who is for us, not against us.
Comforting because it instills a sense of unshakable confidence that all power really is in GOD’s hand, so that even when GOD sometimes does not feel near, GOD’s plan can still be trusted. Knowing the plan is key.
GOD’s grace, mercy and peace rest and abide in you.
In the Service of Jesus
Episode 1
Why the Coming Wrath of GOD Is Justified
(from A Compact Series on the Book of Revelation: For the Prodigal Child Sitting in the Pew or on the Fence)
[Episode 1 published 8/22/2025; Updated 11/19/2025]
Dear Prodigal Child,
In the world around you are outsiders living comfortably in a state of unconsciousness and unpreparedness. They cannot remember the past or recognize truth and consciously ignore or reject fact. They lack understanding about what the mysteries of GOD mean, they lack wisdom regarding the significance of seemingly insignificant moments and people, they feel free to slander and curse GOD and have accused the LORD of being unkind, unfair and of not answering prayers. Their anger toward GOD is rooted in their choice to ignore or inability to recognize two important realities. That storms rain down on both the just and the unjust, and that GOD will show mercy and compassion to whosoever GOD chooses to do so, in keeping with the LORD’s name, I AM WHO I AM.[12]
To be clear, many outsiders are kind and well-meaning people, but it is unwise to rely on them to speak truthfully about GOD because they have no shared point of reference from which to speak.
By way of explanation, Islam calls Almighty GOD ALLAH, rather than the great I AM, but faithful and believing Muslims respect both Moses and Jesus as GOD’s prophets, even when Christians fail to give the prophet Muhammad the same respect. Islam’s holy book is the Qur’aan rather than the Bible, but the Qur’aan clearly states, as does the Bible, that GOD sent the Torah and the Gospels as guidance for humankind—as guiding lights—that Jesus performed miracles, and that He will return one day to be a witness against unbelievers. With utmost respect, the Qur’aan speaks of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as one of the most pure and exalted women ever created. Hinduism, likewise, considers Jesus to be a great spiritual leader, a holy Man, and the faith has respect for His message. The point being that whatever the differences between our faith traditions, we all worship One True Living GOD, with Jesus as our shared point of reference, validating His comment about having other flocks.[13]
Outsiders, on the other hand, have no shared point of reference from which to speak. Therefore, it is unwise to rely on them to speak truthfully about GOD.
Sometimes, even those who confess Jesus as Lord and GOD’s Savior to the world lose sight of Him as the Waymark, the reference point, which is what happened to Paul, a Christian whose name you know.
Paul’s Hebrew name was Saul, and Saul was an extremely religious and educated man who spent his waking hours rounding up people belonging to the Way, individuals committed to following the way of Jesus. Saul would threaten them and throw them in jail for no reason other than they were followers of Jesus, bursting into their homes unannounced and dragging family members away. According to Revelation, these same violent acts happen again during the regime of the first beast, the lawless one.[14]
Saul ceases his violent ways after a bright light blinds him while traveling to pick up official documents that would give him the authority to detain and relocate to Jerusalem as many people belonging to the Way as he could find. When Saul later travels to Jerusalem to join Jesus’ disciples, they turn their backs to him, all except a disciple named Barnabas, who took Saul under his wing. When Saul is tested by GOD, disguised as an opportunity to do for someone else what Barnabas had done for him, give a man a second chance, Saul responded by taking his eyes off Jesus and leaning into his own understanding, judging Mark to be unworthy and refusing to work with him.
Barnabas became a footnote in history, while Paul (formally known as Saul) found favor in the sight of men for the vigorous way he preached the faith he once tried to destroy and for his letters, which make up a large portion of the New Testament. One could argue that Paul tore apart the body of Christ when he exchanged the Way for the church, but whatever the case, it took some time for Paul’s mind to be reborn and transformed by the tests and trials GOD sent his way.[15]
Paul also spoke about having a thorn-in-the-flesh, which some have interpreted to be a medical condition of some kind, but what if his thorn was a signifier? Perhaps thorn is the word that best reflected his human regret and inability to forgive himself for the way he treated Mark, and people of the Way in particular. On three different occasions, Paul goes to GOD asking for help to fix what ails him, but each time he hears that GOD’s grace will be enough for him. This same remedy, dear prodigal, applies to you. Believe that even when you get in the way, GOD can still use you and your weakness—your thorn—as the means by which to do great things. Paul’s suffering came about because he did evil, but may any suffering that comes your way be for something you did that was good.[16]
To understand and appreciate why GOD’s coming wrath on the Earth is justified, you first need to understand justification as it applies to your own life.
You believe GOD, however imperfectly, and in GOD’s sight your belief counts as righteous behavior. You made a right decision rather than a wrong one. This righteousness is by means of justification, not righteousness that comes through obedience to the Law. To be righteous in the opinion or sight of GOD is to be justified, and to be justified is to have GOD decide that your speech, behavior or decision is acceptable, right, reasonable and defensible to do given the nature of a particular situation. Humans see by looking through our eyes at a person’s outward appearance or behavior, but the LORD sees by looking directly into our hearts.[17]
To believe GOD perfectly do not doubt, and if you can achieve this state of believing without doubting you will experience a level of peace that far exceeds anything this world has to offer, and is more comforting than any of us have a right to expect.[18]
GOD the Justifier is also justified.
GOD’s Holiness has been at odds with humanity ever since humans disobeyed by eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil when GOD clearly said not to, and despite a warning that doing so would lead to death. Because of their behavior, a guardian angel with a flaming, rotating sword was placed in front of the Tree of Life as a guard to ensure that neither sin nor evil would gain access to eternity—but the sentence of death remained in effect, effectively tying GOD’s hands, or so it would seem.[19]
As in the game of chess, it is a check-moment for Evil because GOD is now the one under attack, but with the next move, GOD forces a checkmate by vowing to send a Savior to rescue humanity. Outmaneuvered and defeated, a furious Satan goes to war against the woman and her offspring, intent on killing the Savior the moment it is born, but Evil’s plan fails.[20]
Humanity multiplied, human disobedience increased, and wickedness took root and began growing and spreading among all the people of Earth, as GOD’s prophets repeatedly warned what was to come. Having fulfilled both the promise to send a Savior and the oath to bring the nation of Israel back to the land given to its ancestral fathers, GOD is now free to bring this generation to an end.[21]
Wrath is GOD’s long-suffering response to the mistreatment of saints, prophets and children belonging to the LORD. GOD’s wrath is justified because of humanity’s unceasing disobedience, idol worship, the breaking of the Covenant, the withholding of food from the starving, and child abuse so heinous it left one community wondering if Satan had taken up residence.[22]
Others may try to persuade you that GOD’s grace and mercy is unending and will always overrule the Law to delay GOD’s coming wrath, but Revelation describes a mighty angel raising its right hand to heaven and swearing by all that is holy that there will be no more delay. With a heavy heart, GOD goes into the heavenly sanctuary alone, permitting no one else entrance until after all seven bowls of wrath have been poured out on the Earth.
Exactly when the LORD will turn away and not listen anymore is unknown to everyone except GOD. We know only that there will be no more delay and that GOD’s decision will not change.[23]
GOD’s plan of salvation has taken so much time to work itself out because the LORD is good and has no wish that anyone should perish, but Justice requires that all prophetic words accomplish what GOD sent them out to do.[24]
Decide for yourself why GOD’s wrath is justified, acceptable, right, reasonable and defensible in light of GOD’s faithfulness and humanity’s unfaithfulness, so that you have an answer ready for anyone wanting to hear about your hope and what it feels like to live life with no chains and a clean heart.[25]
Episode 2 will clarify the people to whom GOD is speaking and what GOD is saying in the Book of Revelation.
GOD’s grace, mercy and peace rest and abide in you.
In the Service of Jesus
Episode 2
To Whom GOD is Speaking and What GOD is Saying in the Book of Revelation
(from A Compact Series on the Book of Revelation: For the Prodigal Child Sitting in the Pew or on the Fence)
[Episode 2 published 9/12/2025; Updated 11/19/2025]
Dear Prodigal Child,
This letter carries with it the hope that you are well, safe and feeling GOD’s love. If you are struggling in any way with wellness, safety or love, try to identify any fears, habits or practices that may be blocking you from being fully aware of Love’s presence in your life. The most helpful thing you can do for yourself is stay free. Keep your heart clean, release anyone you may be holding prisoner to guilt, drop the stones hiding in your fist, and forgive, even yourself. Allow nothing from the past to hold you back, and visit often that place where only you and GOD can enter.
If you have not been keeping up with the reading lessons in the footnotes, you will want to begin doing so at this time. Paying attention to what someone is saying is important, as you know, but it is equally important to know for yourself whether the Bible actually says what someone else says it does. Footnotes are included with your letters for this reason.
In the Book of Revelation, GOD is speaking to slaves who belong to GOD, revealing to them the prophecies concerning what is to happen soon. The stability, order and balance put in place on Earth by GOD to favor habitation is returning to disorder, lawlessness and catastrophic destruction. GOD is in the process of destroying the destroyers of the Earth, as the Earth is emptying itself of life and passing away in favor of a New Earth, a New Heaven and a New Jerusalem.[26]
That is the short answer.
The farsighted response, the one below, takes into account long-term consequences and implications.
If you should begin to feel anxious or overwhelmed while reading, take a break, and know you are not alone. When Daniel heard what was to happen during the days of trouble and indignation, he was so overwhelmed with grief he took to his bed for several days. When John understood, the news tasted like honey in his mouth, it was good news to his ears, until he began digesting the information, taking it all in, and became sick to his stomach. Even writing about it is trying, but like Daniel, we must rise from our beds and keep moving.[27]
Daniel is a slave belonging to GOD who served as governor of Babylon and chief officer over all of ancient Babylon’s wise men, and it was during his lifetime that the end-time prophecies shown to Ezekiel were sealed. John also is a slave of GOD, imprisoned on the island of Patmos for declaring and bearing witness to the Word of GOD and the testimony of Jesus. His task is to put the newly unsealed scroll prophecies in written form for distribution.[28]
John writes that all of heaven is in dismay because no one in heaven or on earth had been able to open the seals on the scroll or look inside it, not until Jesus was justified as worthy to approach GOD’s heavenly throne, take the scroll from GOD’s right hand and open the seven seals securing the end-time prophecies. His victory causes all of heaven to sing praises to GOD and to Jesus, the Lion belonging to the tribe of Judah appearing before the throne as an executed Lamb. After unsealing the scroll and reading it, Jesus dispatches one of His angels to John to communicate the prophecies that must soon take place. John’s instructions are to write down in a book what he sees and to send it to the angels overseeing seven named churches. How the book made it from the island to the mainland we can only imagine.[29]
So that you understand the significance of the presumed insignificant, John is a slave (Gr. doulos) and not a servant (Gr. diakonos), even though many Bible translators use diakonos to describe him and others like him, but by replacing the word slave with servant, for whatever reason, translators are disregarding the differences in standing. Slaves of GOD stand ready to submit to whatever saying “Yes, Lord” will cost, ready always to do GOD’s Will without thought of reward, as servants of GOD are freepersons hired to serve in exchange for the expectation of a reward. GOD’s servants are great, but slaves of GOD are regarded as first, and it is for their sake the prophecies are revealed. GOD’s grace, however, allows anyone who hears and believes to receive, according to what they have done.[30]
Jesus, for example, is the world’s Savior who receives a crown and a seat at the right hand of GOD, the same GOD who will choose who sits next to Jesus. There are the slaves of GOD, redeemed from the earth as first fruits for GOD. A number of people will receive eternal life during the first resurrection, to reign with Jesus for a thousand years as priests of GOD. Over them, the second death has no power. These include the souls of those executed for holding tightly to the testimony of Jesus and the Word of GOD, and the other brave souls who would not worship the first beast or its image and did not accept its mark, who endured in the face of nearly hopeless circumstances for no other reason than their faith in Jesus. When the thousand years ends, the great multitude out of every nation, tribe, peoples and languages enter eternal life during the second resurrection, dressed in clean clothes because of Jesus’ sacrifice, palm branches waving in their hands. One servant receives a new name, someone else the morning star, and the list goes on.[31]
Two rules concerning prophecies should guide your understanding of Revelation. First, a word GOD has not spoken through a prophet claiming to speak in the name of the Lord will not come to pass or come true. Second, fulfilled prophecies must be visible, either in entirety or in part. What you are discerning, or looking for, in real time are the events John is describing and relaying in the name of the Lord.[32]
When Jesus opens the first seal securing the scroll’s content, John sees a rider seated on a white horse holding a bow but no arrow. The rider receives a crown instead and is sent away to conquer, a guarantee to the slaves of GOD that victory is assured and they can rest easy. The rider is called Faithful and True, and no arrows are needed for His bow because in His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.[33]
When the second seal is opened John sees a rider seated on a bright red horse holding a large sword. The rider receives permission to take peace from the earth in the form of men killing one another without restraint, and from the time Cain murdered his brother Abel until this day, men of violence have been murdering the innocent and one another. GOD’s response to Cain is why capital punishment, the murder of murderers, makes no sense.[34]
The opening of the third seal reveals a rider seated on a black horse holding a pair of scales, but the weight stone appears to be missing, suggesting a dishonest scale that bends toward poverty and wealth inequalities. Like what John is describing, where a quart of wheat or three quarts of barley cost a full day’s pay, barely enough to feed one person much less a family, when in normal times a day’s pay would have purchased much larger quantities of both. The finer things in life remain plentiful for those who can afford them, even as necessities like food and medicine turn into luxury items.[35]
At the opening of the fourth seal, John sees Death seated on a pale horse. Seated behind Death is sin, torment and the world of the dead, and it receives authority to kill one fourth of Earth’s population by any means available. Weapons of war, floods, famine, disease, wild beasts, alcoholism, drug addiction, or a deck of cards. Death is visible everywhere and all around us, seeking whom it may devour.[36]
At the opening of the fifth seal, John sees some of the souls of people murdered for bearing testimony about the word of GOD, which happened to some belonging to the Way. John is unable to see all the souls because not all have yet been killed, and for the same reason, holding to the word of GOD.[37]
At the opening of the sixth seal, a series of cataclysmic events occur. A great earthquake erupts. Is John prophesying about the January 23, 1556 Shaanxi earthquake that killed over 800,000 people? Perhaps the earthquake is great because it involves several fault lines around the planet, as though the San Andreas and Tintina faults, the Pacific Ring of Fire and the East African Rift all erupted at the same time. The sun becomes black as sackcloth. Calling to mind 535 AD, when the entire Earth experienced almost two years of darkness, famine, drought, disease and a summer without heat. Perhaps John is referring to May 19, 1780, when the sun became so dark people needed candles to see at noontime. The moon becomes the color of blood, like that of a blood moon or a lunar eclipse. A black sun and a red moon could be John’s way of describing a solar and lunar eclipse occurring at the same time. Except science says such a thing is impossible, given that a solar eclipse requires the moon to be positioned between the Earth and the sun, while a lunar eclipse requires the Earth to be positioned between the sun and the moon. What look to John like stars falling to the Earth could be low orbiting satellites so damaged they can no longer resist Earth’s gravitational pull, or a storm of comets or meteors. What we do know is that after the sixth seal is opened, everyone—kings and generals, the rich and powerful, the slaves, the poor and the free—all agree that GOD’s wrath has finally come, not understanding this is only the beginning of the wrath to come.[38]
At the opening of the seventh seal, there is silence in heaven lasting for what seems to John like the space of half an hour. In a place where non-stop music, praise and worship are always going on, silence is an ominous sound.[39]
When the half-hour passes, seven angels standing before GOD receive seven trumpets and move into position prepared to blow them. One by one the trumpets sound, accompanied by one ecological or cosmic disaster after another. Seven angels with seven plagues appear and pour out seven bowls of GOD’s wrath on the Earth until Babylon, the nation that loses its soul in the pursuit of wealth, falls.[40]
We live somewhere on the timeline in the midst of all these prophecies. While unable to say with certainty exactly how close the end is, fig leaves are visible on the tree. We can visibly see some of the long-term consequences and implications associated with the prophecies, a sign of fulfillment if only in part, including the blowing of the first two or three sounds of the trumpet.[41]
The Earth is on fire, smoke pollution from wildfires has killed more than 1.53 million people in one year alone. Polluted seawaters are rising and polluted flooding is happening in places it never has before, leading to the migration of birds, animals and people, with poor people suffering the most. Hurricane winds are growing stronger with each passing year, often erasing everything in their path. Evidence has also revealed that the system responsible for moving warm water north and cold water south is slowing down and may stop all together in the next few decades. So that you understand the gravity of the situation, this is the system controlling the movement of water around the entire globe, necessary for maintaining life on Earth. The sun, which John says will turn black as mourning clothes, powers the movement of this water, which is regulated by a combination of wind power and changes in the temperature and saltiness of the seas, which are becoming less salty due to the melting of polar ice caps once frozen for eons, and warmer temperatures. The various seas are what link together all of Earth’s glaciers, snow packs, oceans, lakes, rivers, plants, trees, clouds and rain.[42]
Also of immediate concern is the matter of two beasts. While there is a short answer regarding the identity of the first beast, a farsighted response describing it may prove more useful to you.
John reveals the first beast is monstrous in both appearance and behavior. It is savage, offensive, spiteful and vicious with a loud, blasphemous and boasting mouth, and it seeks to eliminate, destroy and overpower the principled and ethical and to subjugate and suppress different cultures, peoples, nations and races. It receives a potentially fatal wound but does not die. A great number of people on the Earth admire and follow the beast, who they believe is invincible, not realizing that their names—the names of those who follow the beast—are missing from the Book of Life of the Lamb.[43]
From John’s description, can you identify this beast in real time, dear one? If it helps jog your memory, his name, at one time, was on a building with the number 666 as the address. Do you understand now who the first beast is?
John describes the second beast, the false prophet, as looking like a lamb but having a serpent or Jezebel-like evil in its heart. The false prophet will appear as charming and alluring, having an animal-like-magnetism if you will, but pay attention to what you hear, what it actually says, and not what it looks like. The false prophet shares a symbiotic relationship with the first beast, meaning neither can operate without the support of the other. The false prophet, the second beast, will demand all inhabitants of the Earth to bow down to the image of the first beast, or be disposed of. Those refusing to wear the mark symbolizing loyalty and allegiance to the first beast will be unable to buy or sell, be it food, medicine, stocks, bonds and everything in between. Can you better appreciate how people having to show papers and immigration documents, and the U. S. military attacks on alleged Venezuelan drug-boats, are a stone’s throw away from someone demanding that people everywhere display the mark of allegiance to the first beast? Before the moment arrives when each person must choose whether or not to wear the mark of the beast, dear one, give prayerful thought as to what your decision will be. Otherwise, desperation and hunger will decide for you, which is how the original prodigal child met his unfortunate lot.[44]
Lastly is a word about the awesomeness and brilliance of GOD. In the beginning of time, GOD blessed the number seven, and then used that same holy constant in the end-time Book of Revelation to establish pattern recognition, and to authenticate and certify controlling power as belonging to the seven spirits of GOD. Seven lampstands, stars, letters, spirits of One GOD, seals, angels, trumpets, thunders, plagues and bowls of wrath all point to a single message meant to be recognized, remembered and passed along. Even as life as we know it continues to break down, toward total breakdown. The number seven, whose only elements are one and itself, is a stabilizing force. GOD’s way of bringing calm and balance to an otherwise chaotic and terrifying situation, a sign of assurance that GOD really is in control, no matter what the world looks like.[45]
Do yourself good and read the book of Revelation for yourself.
In Episode 3, if the Lord allows, we will consider the seven letters sent from Jesus to seven churches.
Please pray for me.
GOD’s mercy and peace rest and abide in you.
In the Service of Jesus
Episode 3
Jesus and the Seven Letters in the Book of Revelation
(from A Compact Series on the Book of Revelation: For the Prodigal Child Sitting in the Pew or on the Fence)
[Episode 3 published 10/3/2025; Updated 11/19/2025]
Dear Prodigal Child,
Whatever feelings you have about GOD’s coming righteous indignation, the wrath to come, fear is not one of the proper responses. You may still feel it, but fear serves no useful purpose because you cannot un-see the images, nor would you want to. It is better to know and be prepared than not to know and be blindsided, like a thief suddenly showing up in the middle of the night. The truth is just as you suspect. There is nothing to hold on to apart from GOD and the risen Jesus. Keep repeating this to yourself until you know it, without any doubt, then hold tight to what you know to be true.
Stay prepared and ready at all times to give a reasoned response to anyone asking about the hope sustaining you, speaking gently, respectfully, and with a clean heart.
This letter will concern itself with the letters sent to seven angels by Jesus, who is superior to the angels as His new name on a white stone is more glorious than their own.[46]
On the Sabbath, while in the spirit place only he and GOD can enter, John hears a loud voice behind him telling him to write down in a book the visions he will see. He is to send the book and seven individually addressed letters to the seven angels caring for the churches in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea, distant-neighboring congregations spread out along a semicircular route in the ancient Roman province of Asia. When John turns around to see who is speaking he sees seven gold menorahs, or lampstands.[47]
The Hebrew Bible reports the Menorah as standing in the Jewish Tabernacle, the portable tent-like sanctuary carried from place to place, and later in the fixed Temple in Jerusalem, attended to and maintained by sanctuary priests. The structure consisted of a single-base gold Lampstand with seven lamps of light sitting side by side on top of the stand, constructed by human hands according to the decorative pattern provided by GOD. The seven lights represented the Light of Torah, the Law written in the Pentateuch, the Five Books of Moses, by a nation according to their understanding of GOD’s Covenant with them and their lived experience with GOD. In the New Testament, the seven lights of Torah become incarnate, made flesh, in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, the new thing GOD promised to do, GOD’s New Covenant, the Light of the world, the Living Word of GOD who came to fulfill the Law and in fulfillment of the words of the Prophets. Our human limitation is the reason why we do not understand all the details of how it came to be.[48]
Standing in the center of the seven menorahs or lampstands, John sees one like a son of man, a term used in the Bible to emphasize someone in human form in contrast to a spirit being. In this case, the Son of Man is Jesus, dressed in a long robe with a golden sash across His chest. The hair on His head is like white wool and His eyes, capable of seeing through deception, burn like fire with passion and zeal for GOD. Cradled in the Son of Man’s right hand are seven stars, symbols of the ministerial angels responsible for guiding and protecting the ones who are to inherit salvation. As Daniel survived the fiery furnace prepared for him by king Nebuchadnezzar, Jesus survived the furnace of crucifixion and walked out alive on the other side of death, His feet purified and polished by the fire. His voice roars like the sound of many waters, rather than a soothing stream, in His mouth is a sharp two-edged sword, one side to defeat the other to defend, and His face glows bright as the sun.[49]
When John faints at the sight and sound of these images, Jesus lays hands on him and rouses him with some of the most comforting and assuring words in the Bible. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, the one who died and now, behold, I am alive forevermore and have in my possession the keys to imprison Death and the world of the dead.” Jesus dictates seven letters to John, and through His angel announces the unsealed prophecies. As you study, dear one, keep in mind that the word behold is code for stop, look, listen and pay attention, that you may become wise or have some matter confirmed.[50]
John begins the book of Revelation with a personal introduction and words of greeting, and his testimony concerning GOD and Jesus, most likely the same testimony that led to his incarceration on the island of Patmos. Solitary confinement away from the world is what it cost John to hold to his belief against those who wanted him to tell a different story. He writes to the angels that he is a brother in the Lord who is also seeking the kingdom, also experiencing tribulation, and also patiently waiting and enduring for the sake of Jesus. A tribulation is a time of trouble and suffering coming on the heels of a trial or temptation involving some degree of risk, uncertainty and danger, during which one’s trust, faithfulness and obedience are either proven true to GOD or enticed to fail by Satan. Revelation’s focus is the Great Tribulation when wars, famines, plagues, the appearance of the first beast, worldwide chaos, and disasters on Earth and in the heavens give rise to a time of trouble the world has never seen before, which you read about in the previous letter sent to you.[51]
As GOD uses the holy constant seven in the Book of Revelation to establish pattern recognition and authenticate identity, Jesus uses a pattern of words at the beginning of each letter to identify and authenticate Himself, words the receiving angel would immediately recognize as belonging to and coming from Jesus. The seven letters to the angels appear to reflect the spiritual progress of the Judeo-Christian church from its humble beginning to its pitiable end. Five of seven angels must repent of their way of life or face the consequences, and each of the seven receives a word of caution to pay attention to what Jesus has written to the other six.[52]
The angel of the church in Ephesus receives a commendation from Jesus for working faithfully, patiently enduring and not growing weary, for possessing a discerning spirit and refusing to participate in the evil going on around them. Jesus also approves that the angel hates what the Nicolaitans in the congregation are doing as much as He does, and for the same reasons. They are distorting and misrepresenting the teachings of Nicolaus, one of the first seven deacons appointed to serve in the early church, soiling the church’s reputation and weakening the strength of the church’s witness in the world–but there is also a problem. Jesus is troubled because the passionate love they once had for Him, He cannot see or feel anymore. In His sight, the angel and church have fallen, and if they do not repent and do as they did at first Jesus promises to remove their lampstand Himself. Not as punishment, but because He cannot deny Himself. He can no more compromise than GOD can tell a lie. The one able to conquer, no matter the cost, will eat from the tree of life in the Paradise of GOD.[53]
The angel over the church in Smyrna is caring for a financially impoverished church enduring trials and tribulation, including being slandered by people claiming to be Believers and Jews of Judah but are not. In His letter, Jesus assures the angel that they are rich and thriving in the ways that matter most, and He reveals what Satan is preparing to do to them next. They will undergo a ten-day period of tribulation during which some of them will be imprisoned and others killed, but they are not to be afraid of the suffering to come. It is a test. Another opportunity to prove trustworthy, faithful and obedient to GOD, or for Satan to seduce them to fall and fail. The one who endures and remains faithful until death will receive the crown of life. These are some of the souls John saw under the altar at the opening of the fifth seal, murdered for refusing to deny the word of GOD and for their continued faith in Jesus. The angel over the church in Smyrna is one of two angels who do not receive a warning from Jesus to repent, which may account for there being only two witnesses prophesying for 1,260 days clothed in sackcloth, the clothing of the poor and mournful.[54]
The angel of the church in Pergamum receives praise for holding fast to Jesus’ name and for not denying or letting go of their faith in Him, despite hardships and ministering in a place known as the heart and center of evil, the dwelling place of Satan. Jesus’ objection is that not only is the angel allowing some in the church to resume the ways and teachings of the Nicolaitans, others are now following in the footsteps of Balaam, the non-Israelite-prophet-for-hire who disobeyed GOD and taught Balak, king of Moab, how to weaken and entice the Israelites to sin using idol worship and sexual immorality. They are also behaving like gentile lords, thinking themselves more important with the right to tell others what to think and do, and teaching falsely, such as separation from the world no longer being a requirement for Believers. If the church does not repent of its deeds, Jesus Himself will make war against it using the sword in His mouth. The one who endures and conquers will receive some of the hidden manna, food from heaven, and a white stone with a new name written on it that no one knows except the giver and receiver. The details in the letter concerning a faithful witness named Antipas lead one to imagine it was the new name on the white stone received by Stephen, who was stoned to death for calling the Jewish high priest and other teachers of the law stiff-necked, stubborn and blind and for his testimony concerning the GOD of Glory.[55]
The angel in the church in Thyatira is commended for their love, faithfulness, service to others and patient endurance, but Jesus is displeased that a wicked and immoral, unrepentant Jezebel-like woman has been tolerated and allowed to teach others pleasure-seeking-worship practices, and to eat food lifted up to false gods for a blessing. The wicked woman’s time to repent has come and gone, her judgment is final, and anyone committing adultery or other acts of unfaithfulness with her will receive great tribulation unless they repent. Jesus knows that a few people have not followed the wicked woman or her teachings, that they have not learned the so-called secret mysteries of Satan, and He appeals to them to hold fast to their faith in Him. Knowing their way will be difficult enough, He adds no other burden. The one who endures until the end and conquers will receive authority and power to rule over the nations and a morning star, becoming like Jesus, the bright morning star.[56]
The church in Sardis has a reputation as a thriving congregation, but Jesus’ letter to the angel begins with rebuke and reprimand. In His eyes, only a few people have not soiled their garments or compromised their faith. He says the church is about to die, may even be dead already, and if it does not wake up to the state of its condition by repenting and strengthening what little faith it has, Jesus will unexpectedly come against it like a thief in the night. The one who endures and conquers will be clothed in a clean, white garment and take walkabouts with the Lord, who will never delete or cover over their name in the Book of Life and promises to be their Defender when they stand for judgment before His Father and the authorized angels.[57]
The angel of the church in Philadelphia is fighting a losing battle. They have very little power in the world, but Jesus assures the angel He sees, knows and understands their situation. He thanks the angel for keeping His word and for not denying allegiance to Him and says to not give up. If they stay strong and hold fast, they will see those claiming to be Jews of Judah and Believers, but who are not, bowing down to them the faithful ones. The one who conquers, who faithfully keeps the word of the Lord and patiently endures to the end, Jesus will shelter and protect from the great tribulation coming on the whole world. They will become pillars in the Temple of GOD, known for their ability to bear heavy loads without compromising their faith or integrity. Heaven will be their everlasting home, they will never leave it, and Jesus will write on them the name of His GOD and His own new name. He promises that His coming will be soon and urges those belonging to Him to stand fast so that no one can take their crown. Compassion, but no compromise. As an athlete does not receive a crown if they did not compete according to the rules, recipients of the crown of faithfulness must conform to the rules and expectations of Jesus. This is the second of two angels who do not receive a warning from Jesus to repent.[58]
To the angel of the church in Laodicea Jesus has nothing whatsoever good to say. The church sees itself as blessed, rich and doing good work in the name of the Lord, but in the eyes of Jesus, the church is nauseously lukewarm, indifferent, half-hearted, woeful, deplorable, poor, blind and naked. His advice to the angel is that they buy gold, white robes and eye medicine from Him so that the church can become rich, cover its nakedness and recover its sight. Except righteousness is not for sale. The irony of this letter is that Believers who conquer to the end, who have spent the least amount of time enduring to the end, receive one of the highest honors. Sitting with Jesus on His throne as He conquered and sat down on His Father’s throne. Calling to mind Jesus’ parable about the master of a house who gave as generously to the workers hired during the last hour as he did to the workers hired during the early morning hours and at 9 am, 12 noon and 3 pm, all of whom labored longer under the scorching heat of the day. Clarifying why grace is not dependent on works, otherwise, grace would not be grace.[59]
This will be my final letter to you, dear one. I pray you are almost home and moving safely under the keeping power of GOD.
If I were to condense the pages of your four letters into a few paragraphs, this is what my testimony would say.
Jesus’ Church received a commission from Him to go out into the world as His light, without getting caught up in the illusions and delusions of the world, and transform it in His name for the sake of the Gentiles, those not born under the Jewish covenant. Christianity long ago claimed the Church for itself, but from the beginning, the term ekklesia (church) signified the national, congregational assembly of all GOD’s people. The whole household of GOD, Jew and Gentile alike, described in Revelation as coming out of every nation, tribe, peoples and languages. Some of whom are neither Jewish nor Christian but belong to Jesus’ other folds. The Church was to use the power and authority it inherited from Him to conquer the marketplace, free those taken hostage by life’s temptations and circumstances, and create a more just and level playing field for the poor. Instead, faith in Jesus was transformed into a brick and mortar institution called the church, the marketplace cornered the church and left it wringing its hands over insufficient budgets, and a fallen church went on pretending it was wealthy, prosperous and in need of nothing.[60]
I suppose now is as good a time as any to clarify that the word rapture is not in the Bible.
To be blind and deaf is the unwillingness to see the world from GOD’s point of view and the inability to experience reality and joy as imagined in the mind of GOD. Moreover, and for the record, GOD truly has no interest in fearful obedience, in seeing humans groveling on bended knee and shaking in fear before an Almighty GOD. That demand comes from the first beast, now walking among us. The false prophet, the second beast to come, will use brilliant oratorical skills and act with kindness and compassion, at least for a while, in order to appeal to the hearts of people who know it has no right to rule and yet choose to accept both its reign and the mark of the first beast. During the Great Tribulation, everyone will be obliged to choose. Informed consent means making that choice with a clear understanding that accepting the mark of the beast means eternity away from GOD.[61]
The reign of a man named Antiochus Epiphanes is like looking through a window, in that it reveals what life looks like under the reign of a beast-like man. Antiochus installed a statue of the Greek god Jupiter Olympus in the Jerusalem Temple, inside the holy of holies. He forced the Temple priests to sacrifice pig flesh to idols and pagan gods, and outlawed Temple worship. Anyone practicing a religion other than the one approved by Antiochus faced death, and all biblical scrolls found were confiscated and destroyed, as was the person possessing them. He built a fortress south of the walls surrounding the Jewish Temple, allowing him a direct view of everything happening around the Temple area. Circumcision became illegal and, under torture, many Jews denied and surrendered their faith. If you are reading this and do not feel horror and outrage, you are an outsider.
Antiochus lived before the time of Jesus, but his behavior is an example of what was happening to the early Church, triggering seven letters from Jesus and His repeated call to keep the faith, endure and overcome. Revelation clarifies that when the first beast is empowered to make war against the innocent ones of GOD and Jesus and to overcome them, they should expect to see similar behavior taking place.[62]
Wrath is not an alternative word for punishment given in response to an evil deed done. It is GOD’s righteous fury and indignation finally responding to humankind’s long-standing indifference to Evil, just as the Book of Revelation is a message of doom only to those who are perishing, and GOD has no wish that anyone should perish. For those holding tightly to the word of GOD and the testimony of Jesus, Revelation is a message of hope and assurance.[63]
To conclude, it would seem that what the ancient prophets said of Israel is also true of America. It is a rebellious nation.[64]
Concerning Israel, GOD will deal with the nation as it has done.[65]
Concerning America, whose security is the illusion that someone is in charge of the nation’s safety, its continuity of government will one day soon mean no one will be responding to our calls for help, because the government will be sheltered in bunkers and looking out for its own survival, not ours. The first responders will be our neighbors. Said differently, imagine a climate event of epic proportion taking place on Earth, or a nuclear bomb falling that is ten times more powerful than the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by America, which was unwilling to accept Japan’s condition of surrender, hypothetical perils well within the realm of possibility. Everyday people who survive the catastrophe will be searching for water, food, shelter and loved ones, as the IRS looks for ways it can keep collecting taxes on income no one is receiving and state governments assess how to continue collecting taxes for property consigned to oblivion. Truly, truly, I say to you, there is nothing to hold onto except GOD and the risen Jesus.
Concerning America—the self-avowed mother of exiles standing beside an invisible golden door with a lamp lifted high above her head urging other nations to send their tired, poor, huddled, wretched masses yearning to breathe free to her—in a single hour America’s judgment will come. Its wealth destroyed, as the merchants on Earth weep and mourn because there is no one left who can afford to buy their cargo.[66]
If I were to condense all your letters to three sentences or less, I would repeat to you watchwords that have sustained and strengthened me for more than 40 years.
Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists. Therein lies the peace of GOD.[67]
When the trumpet sounds loud enough to wake the dead, dear one, I pray you are in the first Resurrection, and that I am as well.
If you are an outsider who wants to become a holy child, talk to GOD. Say what you need, ask with sincerity for forgiveness, believe you have been forgiven, and the Lord will take it from there. Here is a sample prayer to start you on your way:
Merciful GOD, I want very much to live eternally with you. Rule in my heart, change me, help me to live and love as courageously and faithfully as Jesus did, so that I may be pleasing in your sight and one day hear you say, “Well done.” In you GOD, I will trust. Please help me whenever I doubt. Amen.
GOD’s mercy and peace rest and abide in you always.
In the Service of Jesus
[1] Genesis 1:14-19; Proverbs 16:4.
[2] Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13.
[3] Isaiah 42:14-16.
[4] Matthew 25:1-13.
[5] Genesis 29:1-30:24; Deuteronomy 21:15-17.
[6] Leviticus 11:7-8; Deuteronomy 14:8.
[7] Luke 15:17.
[8] John 19:11b.
[9] Luke 15:11-32; Mark 5: 1-20.
[10] Isaiah 14:24 (ESV).
[11] Ezekiel 18:20; 2 Corinthians 5:10.
[12] Exodus 3:13-14, 33:19; Matthew 5:43-45.
[13] Al-Qur’aan 2:136,163, 3:1-4, 42, 49-51, 55-57; 4:159, 43:61; Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:11; Mark 12:28-29; John 10:14-16; 1 Timothy 2:1-6.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/beliefs/jesus_1.shtml (Shaunaka Rishi Das, a Hindu priest, gives his view on Jesus).
[14] Acts 7:58, 8:1-3; Revelation 13:1-10.
[15] Acts 9:1-25, 11:19-26, 13: 9, 13, 15:36-40, 22:1-22, 24:1-22; Romans 1:1, 11:13, 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 9:1-2; 2 Corinthians 13:5-9.
[16] 1 Peter 3:13-17.
[17] Genesis 15:6; 1 Samuel 16:6-7; Job 1:1, 8; Romans 3:21-26, 5:1, 6:12-14, 11:6; Galatians 2:20-21; Ephesians 2:1-10.
[18] John 14:27; Philippians 4:4-7.
[19] Genesis 1:29, 2:16-17, 3:1-24.
[20] Revelation 12:13-17.
[21] Isaiah 59:1-2; Jeremiah 16:14-15, 30:1-3; Matthew 2:1-18; Luke 1:26-33, 2:1-7, 22-40.
[22] In 1948, the nation of Israel was reestablished. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/08/03/alabama-child-sex-trafficking-bunker-brent/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f005.
[23] Isaiah 59:1-2; Daniel 7:25; Acts 17:30-31; Matthew 24:32-39; Revelation 10:5-7.
[24] Isaiah 30:18, 55:10-11; Habakkuk 2:1-3; John 3:16-17; 2 Peter 3:8-10.
[25] 1 Peter 3:15; Revelation 16:8-11, 21.
[26] Revelation 1:1-3, 11:17-18, 21:1-5.
[27] Daniel 8:15-17, 27; Revelation 10:8-11.
[28] Daniel 2:46-48, 7:1, 15-16, 12:1-4, 9; Ezekiel 1:4-28, 2:9-3:11, 7:1-27; Revelation 1:10, 4:2-8, 5:1, 10:8-11.
[29] Revelation 1:1-2, 9-11, 5:1-14; See Episode 1 for more information regarding Justification, published 8/22/25.
[30] Matthew 20:25-28, 25:31-46; Luke 6:37-38, 9:23, 15:17-19, 22:24-30; Romans 2:6; Galatians 6:9; Colossians 3:23-25; 1 Peter 5:6; Revelation 20:12, 22:12.
[31] Psalm 110:1, Matthew 20:23, 26:64; Mark 16:16; Luke 10:40, 22:69; Acts 7:55-56; Hebrews 1:3, 112:2; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 2:7b, 11b, 3:5, 11-12, 7:3-4, 14:1-5, 20:4-6.
[32] Deuteronomy 18:20-22; Joel 2:28-32; Amos 3:7; 1 John 4:1.
[33] Revelation 6:1-2, 19:11-16.
[34] Genesis 4:1-16; Revelation 6:3-4.
[35] Revelation 6:5-6.
[36] Revelation 6:7-8.
[37] Revelation 6:9-11.
[38] Revelation 6:12-17.
[39] Revelation 8:1.
[40] Revelation 8:2, 6, 15:1, 16:1, 18:1-24.
[41] Matthew 24:32-35; Luke 21:29-33; Revelation 8:7-10.
[42] Matthew 24:32-35; Revelation 6:9-11, 7:1-4, 8:7-8, 9:15, 13:7;
https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/climate-change-throwing-water-cycle-chaos-us-rcna137892; https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/10/smoke-from-canadas-wildfires-killed-nine-year-old-carter-vigh-and-82000-others-around-the-world; https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/sep/09/charleston-rising-seas; https://www.huffpost.com/entry/america-show-your-papers-supreme-court_n_68c08c32e4b057cde437a78d?origin=home-latest-news-unit.
[43] Revelation 13:1-10, 18, 20:12.
[44] Revelation 13:11-17, 16:13. See Introduction for more about the Prodigal Child, published 8/1/25.
[45] Genesis 2:1-3, 3:13-14; Revelation 7:12.
[46] Acts 4:11; Hebrews 1:1-4; 1 Peter 3:14-17; Revelation 3:12, 14:1, 19:12. For information about the contents of the previous letter, see Episode 2, published 9/12/25.
[47] Numbers 23:19; Ezekiel 1:4-14, 11:14-15; Mark 14:62; Luke 19:10; Revelation 1:10-12, 4:6-11.
[48] Exodus 25:31-40; Leviticus 24:1-4; Numbers 3:31, 8:1-4; 2 Chronicles 10-11; Psalms 103:20; Isaiah 43:19-21; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Daniel 12:3; Zechariah 4:2; Matthew 4:11, 5:14-17, 9:35-37, 13:1-9, 18-30, 36-43, 16:18 (“…on this rock I will build my Church…”), 22:1-3, 27:1-2, 24-26, 28:18-20; Mark 4:1-29, 16:15-16; Luke 8:4-18, 20:34-36, 22:1-2, 20; John 1:1-18, 4:5:18, 8:12, 9:5, 10:16, 27, 11:45-53, 12:23-36, 46; Hebrews 9:11; 1 John 1:5-7; Revelation 7:9, 21:2, 22-27. The Hebrew Bible is what some still call the Old Testament.
[49] Ezekiel 2:1, 6; Daniel 3:8-30, 6:21-22; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 1:13-16, 20, 10:1-3, 14:14, 19:11-16.
[50] Isaiah 7:14, 41:10, 43:19; Luke 1:31, 2:7, 21; John 1:29-30; Jude 1:6; Revelation 1:17-19. Burse, Cynthia F., A Little Bible Dictionary for Believers, Seekers and Other Spirit Chasers (Columbus OH: Ingram Spark, 2025), 9.
[51] Deuteronomy 4:30; Daniel 12:1; John 16:33; Matthew 13:21, 24:21, 29-31; Mark 13:19, 24-27; Luke 14:25-30; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 12:12; Revelation 1:4-9, 3:10, 7:13-14.
[52] Revelation 2:1-3:22. See Episode 2 for more information on seven as the holy constant.
[53] Genesis 3:24; 2 Timothy 2:13; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 18-19; Jude 1: 3-19; Revelation 2:1-7.
[54] 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; James 1:12-15; Revelation 2:8-11, 6:9-11, 11:1-13; 20:4-6.
[55] Exodus 16: 4, 32:9, 33:3, 34:9; Deuteronomy 8: 2-3, 3:11, 9:6-7, 10:16-17, 21:18-20; Joshua 5:12; 2 Chronicles 30:8; Nehemiah 9:16-17, 29; Psalm 78:21-25; 81:11-12; Proverbs 1:23-24, 28:14, 29:1; Isaiah 52:11; Jeremiah 7:24-26, 11:8, 17:23; Matthew 20:25-26, 23:16, 24; Luke 22:24-26; John 6:47-51, 57-58, 12:37-40; Acts 6:1-7:60; 2 Corinthians 3:15-16, 4:4, 6:16-18; Ephesians 4:18-19; 1 Peter 4:3-5, 5:1-3; 1 John 2:15; Revelation 2:12-17. Pergamum sometimes written as Pergamos or Pergamon.
[56] 1 Kings 16:29-31, 18:1-4, 13, 19:1-3, 21:1-16, 23-25; 2 Kings 9:30-37; Revelation 2:18-29, 20:4, 22:16.
[57] Revelation 3:1-6.
[58] Acts 10:34-35; Revelation 3:7-13, 16:1-2.
[59] Isaiah 1:13-17, 55:1-2; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 6:24, 20:1-16; Acts 8:20-22; Ephesians 2:8-9; Revelation 3:14-22.
[60] Proverbs 6:23; Matthew 5:14-16; John 17:14-19; Acts 13:47-48; 2 Corinthians 4:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 John 1:7-8. Burse, Cynthia F., For the Record: The Testimonies of Mary Magdalene and Judas Iscariot, 2nd Edition (Ohio: Ingram Spark, 2025), 164.
[61] Leviticus 26:12-13; Deuteronomy 29:3-4; Psalm 14:1, 146:8; Isaiah 41:10, 42:18-20, 43:1-28; Ezekiel 2:1-2; Matthew 13:13-15, 15:14; John 1:12-13, 6:44, 9:39, 12:39-40; Acts 28:25-27; Romans 1:28-32, 8:7-8, 11:7-10; 2 Corinthians 4:3; 2 Peter 3:3-4; Jude 1:18-19; Revelation 3:17, Revelation 13:1-18, 19:17-21, 20:15.
[62] Revelation 13:7-10.
[63] Ezekiel 18:19-23, 33:10-11; John 1:11-13, 3:16-17, 36, 6:37, 40; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; 2 Peter 3:9; Revelation 3:20.
[64] Psalm 78:5-8; Isaiah 1:21-23, 30:1-3, 9, 65:2; Ezekiel 16:1-2; Matthew 5:19-20; John 8:31-47, 14:15.
[65] Ezekiel 16:59-63.
[66] Revelation 17:1-2, 15-18:1-24.
[67] Foundation for Inner Peace, A Course in Miracles, 2nd Edition (CA: Foundation for Inner Peace, 1992), 1.
Sacred Deliberations 
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