Church Four “I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first” (Revelation 2:19). by David Rice Thyatira was a bleak period of church history, from 1157 to 1517. It was not bleak in warm Christian discipleship but bleak with burdens and trials of faith upon the followers of Jesus. This was the period of greatest dominance by the papacy, represented by Jezebel, the wicked queen who […]
Seven Periods “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20). by David Rice The view is widely held among our fellowship that the seven churches of Revelation chapters 1-3 have prophetic meaning to seven successive periods of time during the Gospel Age. Not that this is the only meaning. […]
Acts 16-18 “Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek” (Acts 16:1). by David Rice The beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey is summarized in Acts 15:41, the last verse of that chapter, “He went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.” Paul’s companion on this occasion was Silas. After the council at Jerusalem convened to […]
Sweet as Honey “Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matthew 19:29). by David Rice Jesus’ closing prayer for his disciples included his request that they join Jesus himself in heavenly glory. When Jesus audibly expressed this prayer, the disciples would not have comprehended the grandeur of his request, the remarkable privilege that those words portended […]
The Gospel Age “Your fathers … proved me, and saw my works forty years” (Hebrews 3:9). by David Rice The forty years Israel wandered in the wilderness represents the Gospel Age wandering of Spiritual Israel as we approach the Kingdom. This period is covered by four books in the Old Testament — Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Exodus records the events of the first year, climaxing with the construction of the Tabernacle on the first day of the year following the Exodus. […]